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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mine — for digging
  4. face — to confront
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mug — a cup
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fine — all right
  12. face — part of the head
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mug — a face
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. face — to point toward
  18. squash — the sport
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fine — high quality
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mug — to rob

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