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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rule — government
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lean — thin
  6. squash — the sport
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — finally
  12. lean — to bend
  13. degree — from a university
  14. net — after costs
  15. rest — what's left
  16. can — a tin
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rule — a law
  20. net — for catching
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rest — a break
  23. net — in sport
  24. can — to be able to

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