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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a music group
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. season — of the year
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. charge — in control
  13. rule — government
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. band — a ring
  16. charge — a price
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rule — a law
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. last — final
  22. pop — soda
  23. season — in sport
  24. band — a rubber band

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