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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rule — government
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. can — a tin
  7. degree — from a university
  8. land — to come down
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lean — thin
  11. mark — a grade
  12. land — a country
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mark — a trace
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. spring — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. degree — temperature
  21. squash — to crush
  22. spring — the season
  23. rule — a law
  24. land — ground

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