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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. drill — army training
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fine — high quality
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rule — government
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rule — a law
  11. fine — all right
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. present — a gift
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pop — soda
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. present — the time now
  21. season — of the year
  22. drill — the tool
  23. present — there
  24. pound — a weight

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