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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. season — in sport
  2. land — ground
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rest — a break
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fine — all right
  7. land — a country
  8. season — of the year
  9. land — to come down
  10. rule — government
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. staff — employees
  16. fine — high quality
  17. prune — to trim
  18. staff — employees
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. staff — a stick
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rule — a law
  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