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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. dip — to sink
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pop — music
  8. net — after costs
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. pop — soda
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. net — in sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wake — a trail
  20. last — to go on
  21. net — for catching
  22. bank — of a river
  23. season — in sport
  24. dip — to dunk

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