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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. court — for sport
  4. last — finally
  5. spell — magic
  6. net — in sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. rule — a law
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — to go on
  15. net — for catching
  16. last — final
  17. suit — to fit
  18. staff — employees
  19. court — of law
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — of a king
  22. suit — clothes
  23. net — after costs
  24. rule — government

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