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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. band — a music group
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. suit — clothes
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rule — a law
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — in sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. band — a ring
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rule — government
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. lean — thin
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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