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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. season — of the year
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. season — in sport
  6. court — for sport
  7. date — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rule — a law
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. court — of law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. court — of a king
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. rule — government
  24. season — to add flavour

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