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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mine — for digging
  7. press — to push
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. season — of the year
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lie — to recline
  12. press — a publisher
  13. net — in sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. net — after costs
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. net — for catching
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. press — newspapers
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lean — thin

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