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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fine — all right
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rule — a law
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. season — of the year
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. ball — a dance
  13. drill — a practice
  14. season — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rule — government
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rash — a series
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. fine — high quality

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