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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · rule · lean · mark · fan · ruler · pit · wound

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. lean — thin
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mark — a grade
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wound — an injury

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