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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rule — a law
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rule — government
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — a partner
  10. file — a document
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. file — a tool
  22. mate — a friend
  23. spring — the season
  24. season — in sport

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