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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 120 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. season — in sport
  3. rule — government
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. band — a music group
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. season — of the year
  10. cold — not warm
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. firm — a company
  14. fall — to drop
  15. firm — decided
  16. fall — the season
  17. firm — steady
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fine — all right
  22. rule — a law
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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