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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 · fine · net · squash · rule · cold · dip · staff

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. net — in sport
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. staff — employees
  8. dip — to sink
  9. net — after costs
  10. season — in sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. cold — an illness
  16. staff — employees
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rule — government
  19. season — of the year
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. staff — a stick
  22. net — for catching
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. squash — to crush

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