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

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fall — the season
  14. march — music
  15. rule — government
  16. spring — of water
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. deal — an agreement

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