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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lean — thin
  4. rest — a break
  5. lean — to bend
  6. staff — employees
  7. ground — a position
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. toast — bread
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rush — hurry
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pit — in a race
  17. ground — crushed
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pit — a hole
  24. staff — employees

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