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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · rule · game · suit · fall · band · leaves · cue

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rule — a law
  3. suit — clothes
  4. season — in sport
  5. game — a match
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. cue — a hint
  11. game — wild animals
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rule — government
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. season — of the year
  24. leaves — to go away

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