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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 116 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — an illness
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spell — letters
  7. rule — a law
  8. rock — music
  9. rule — government
  10. march — music
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. march — the month

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