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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rule — government
  3. capital — money
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. plane — a tool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. capital — a city
  9. spring — of water
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rule — a law
  23. spring — a coil
  24. plane — an aircraft

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