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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. court — of a king
  4. suit — clothes
  5. bore — to drill
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bore — to tire
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. season — in sport
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bass — low music
  14. deal — to handle
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. court — of law
  18. rule — a law
  19. court — for sport
  20. snap — to click
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bass — the fish

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