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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mate — to breed
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rule — government
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rule — a law
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lean — thin
  24. bat — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com