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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lean — thin
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cell — a phone
  7. net — for catching
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. present — the time now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cap — a lid
  12. lean — to bend
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. present — a gift
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. present — there
  24. cell — in biology

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