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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. net — in sport
  5. march — music
  6. net — after costs
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rule — government
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. stand — to bear
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. last — final
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. net — for catching
  18. rule — a law
  19. march — the month
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. last — finally
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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