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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bulb — for light
  6. march — the month
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. march — the month
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. rule — a law
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. court — of a king
  17. season — of the year
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rule — government
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — a jug

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