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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. last — to go on
  5. ball — a dance
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. last — finally
  8. pop — music
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pop — soda
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. season — in sport
  16. kick — in football
  17. rule — a law
  18. last — final
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pop — to visit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rule — government
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. season — of the year

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