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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.

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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: mine · rule · court · season · band · jam · hide · spring

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rule — government
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. court — for sport
  9. spring — the season
  10. band — a music group
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. court — of law
  13. rule — a law
  14. court — of a king
  15. season — of the year
  16. band — a ring
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. spring — of water
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mine — for digging
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. spring — a coil

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