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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pop — to visit
  3. season — of the year
  4. game — a match
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pop — music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pop — soda
  13. last — finally
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. last — final
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. season — in sport
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — to go on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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