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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lean — to bend
  5. capital — money
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rule — government
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. plane — a tool
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cap — of ice
  13. ground — crushed
  14. staff — employees
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ground — the earth
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — a city
  20. ground — a position
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. lean — thin
  23. rule — a law
  24. cap — a hat

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