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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. land — to come down
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rock — music
  6. present — there
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rash — hasty
  13. degree — from a university
  14. land — a country
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rash — a series
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. present — the time now
  20. lie — to recline
  21. degree — temperature
  22. present — a gift
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. degree — an amount

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