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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. season — of the year
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rule — a law
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. season — in sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fine — all right
  24. degree — from a university

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