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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rule — government
  5. fine — all right
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. game — wild animals
  8. season — of the year
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. net — in sport
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. scale — in music
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — obliged
  22. game — a match
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rule — a law

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