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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. land — to come down
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — a country
  6. board — to get on
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. lean — to bend
  9. board — a committee
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. season — of the year
  15. land — ground
  16. shower — rain
  17. bass — low music
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lean — thin
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. shower — to wash
  23. season — in sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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