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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — of the year
  3. rule — government
  4. race — a contest
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. march — music
  8. rule — a law
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. land — to come down
  13. season — in sport
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. land — ground
  18. bore — to drill
  19. march — the month
  20. land — a country
  21. suit — clothes
  22. race — humankind
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — in cards

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