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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. suit — in cards
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rule — government
  7. suit — to fit
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. game — a match
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cue — a signal
  13. suit — clothes
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rule — a law
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cue — a hint
  20. spring — of water
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spring — the season

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