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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — finally
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rule — government
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rule — a law
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. last — to go on
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. lean — to bend
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stem — to come from
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bore — to tire
  23. last — final
  24. bore — to drill

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