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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rush — hurry
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. rule — a law
  9. cold — not warm
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rule — government
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. court — for sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hide — to keep secret

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