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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 120 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: hide · rule · bay · lean · sharp · degree · pass · rest

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pass — a permit
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rest — a break
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lean — thin
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rule — a law
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. sharp — with an edge

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