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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bear — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rule — a law
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. last — final
  15. lean — thin
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. scale — in music
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rule — government
  22. scale — size or range
  23. last — finally
  24. scale — for weighing

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