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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ground — a position
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rule — government
  11. season — of the year
  12. pit — a hole
  13. season — in sport
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pit — in a race
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ground — crushed
  23. can — a tin
  24. season — to add flavour

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