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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.

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 · game · drill · bear · net · rule · cold · hide

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. net — after costs
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bear — the animal
  6. game — a match
  7. rule — government
  8. season — of the year
  9. bear — the animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — an illness
  15. net — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. drill — army training
  22. net — for catching
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rule — a law

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