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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cap — of ice
  4. season — of the year
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. land — a country
  7. cap — a lid
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — to bend
  13. land — to come down
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. land — ground
  20. cold — an illness
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cold — not warm
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cap — a hat

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