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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. court — for sport
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rest — what's left
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mug — a face
  11. shower — rain
  12. rest — a break
  13. season — in sport
  14. court — of law
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. season — of the year
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. court — of a king
  24. rest — what's left

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