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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — a company
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. row — a line
  11. bass — low music
  12. season — of the year
  13. present — there
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. firm — steady
  22. season — in sport
  23. rule — a law
  24. row — to paddle

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