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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rule — government
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rash — hasty
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rash — a series
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. season — of the year
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. can — a tin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rule — a law
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. can — a tin
  24. nail — for a hammer

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