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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. season — of the year
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. swing — music
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. court — of law
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rule — government
  11. season — in sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. rule — a law
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. swing — to play on
  19. court — for sport
  20. game — wild animals
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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