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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rule — government
  3. lean — thin
  4. roll — a cake
  5. season — in sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wind — moving air
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. vault — a safe
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cap — a lid
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. date — the fruit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. roll — a list
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. season — of the year

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