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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · fall · season · ground · court · rule · deal · tube

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. court — of law
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rule — a law
  5. date — the fruit
  6. ground — a position
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tube — a container
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. rule — government
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fall — the season
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. court — of a king
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. court — for sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rule — to rule out

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