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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 124 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. season — of the year
  4. last — to go on
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rule — a law
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. season — in sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — in football
  15. last — final
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. degree — temperature
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rule — government
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. kick — with a leg

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