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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 · pound · rule · march · fine · cue · net · bowl

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rule — government
  4. fine — all right
  5. march — the month
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rule — a law
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. season — of the year
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. season — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. march — music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bowl — a football final

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