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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pit — in a race
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. season — in sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rule — a law
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fall — the season
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cold — an illness
  16. land — a country
  17. fall — to drop
  18. season — of the year
  19. land — to come down
  20. board — a committee
  21. rule — government
  22. fall — to drop
  23. board — to get on
  24. land — ground

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