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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pop — music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rule — a law
  11. season — of the year
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — in sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pop — soda
  20. row — a line
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rule — government
  23. ball — a dance
  24. row — to paddle

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