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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.

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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: row · season · scale · rest · rule · ball · content · spring

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rule — government
  9. spring — the season
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rest — a break
  13. spring — of water
  14. rest — what's left
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rule — a law
  17. spring — a coil
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. scale — in music
  23. ball — a great time
  24. row — a line

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