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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 124 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. present — a gift
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. season — of the year
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rule — a law
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. present — the time now
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — in sport
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. present — there
  19. rule — government
  20. lean — thin
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stand — on your feet

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