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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rock — music
  6. ground — crushed
  7. scale — in music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. scale — size or range
  10. file — a tool
  11. rule — a law
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rule — government
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bear — the animal
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. file — a document
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. file — a line of people

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