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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. hand — help
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rash — a series
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fine — all right
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. squash — the vegetable

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