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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. net — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. can — a tin
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. charge — in control
  17. spring — of water
  18. charge — a price
  19. season — in sport
  20. capital — a city
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rule — a law
  24. capital — money

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