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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 116 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rock — music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fall — the season
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. fall — to drop
  8. season — of the year
  9. band — a ring
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bear — the animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. rule — government
  18. band — a music group
  19. court — for sport
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fall — to drop
  22. season — in sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. ball — a dance

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