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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cell — a phone
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lean — thin
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pass — a permit
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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