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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. cell — in biology
  7. net — after costs
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cap — a hat
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cell — a phone
  13. season — in sport
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cap — a lid
  17. net — for catching
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. season — of the year
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. court — of law
  23. rule — government
  24. season — to add flavour

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