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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. season — in sport
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rule — a law
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. court — for sport
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fine — high quality
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. court — of law
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. court — of a king
  20. branch — a division
  21. rule — government
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. season — of the year

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