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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: pitcher · mate · chip · spell · fall · bound · rule · season

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mate — a friend
  4. season — of the year
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. rule — government
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bound — certain
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rule — a law
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fall — the season
  21. mate — a partner
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pitcher — a jug

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