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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: season · toast · rule · lean · bore · cold · last · rest

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. last — to go on
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bore — to drill
  14. toast — bread
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. last — finally
  18. lean — thin
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. season — in sport
  21. last — final
  22. rule — a law
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. rule — to rule out

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