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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. lean — to bend
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. pound — a weight
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. staff — a stick
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. lean — thin
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. staff — employees
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pit — in a race

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