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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. lean — to bend
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pass — a permit
  16. swing — music
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. season — in sport
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. swing — to play on
  23. lean — thin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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