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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. lean — thin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bound — certain
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rule — government
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rule — a law
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mate — a partner
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bound — tied together
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. ground — a position

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