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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · suit · cap · pitch · ball · rule · spring · kid

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. spring — of water
  11. kid — child
  12. spring — the season
  13. season — of the year
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rule — government
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. suit — in cards
  19. ball — a great time
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cap — a lid
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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