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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. spring — of water
  3. march — music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. net — after costs
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rule — government
  13. net — for catching
  14. spring — the season
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — a coil
  17. net — in sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rule — a law
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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