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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. field — farmland
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cold — not warm
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rule — government
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mark — a grade
  9. squash — to crush
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mark — a trace
  14. field — for sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. can — to be able to
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rule — a law
  19. lean — to bend
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. lean — thin
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. field — a subject

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