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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lean — thin
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mug — a face
  6. lean — to bend
  7. track — to keep track
  8. board — to get on
  9. cold — not warm
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mug — a cup
  14. track — a song
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. roll — a list
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. track — a path
  19. board — a committee
  20. mug — to rob
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cold — an illness
  24. leaves — lets stay

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