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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. season — in sport
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bank — of a river
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rule — a law
  10. hand — help
  11. rule — government
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. season — of the year
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bank — for money
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bank — for money
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fork — in a road
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. lean — thin
  24. wave — of the sea

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