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

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — in sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chair — a leader
  6. season — of the year
  7. march — the month
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. band — a ring
  13. board — to get on
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. march — music
  18. rest — a break
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. band — a music group
  22. march — the month
  23. board — a committee
  24. chair — a professorship

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