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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rash — hasty
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — thin
  7. rule — a law
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. field — a subject
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. field — for sport
  17. rule — government
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. field — farmland
  23. rash — a series
  24. mine — for digging

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