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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 124 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rule — a law
  5. spell — letters
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spell — magic
  8. game — a match
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. dip — to sink
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. season — in sport
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rule — government
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spell — a short time

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