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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 120 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: band · season · mark · fine · rule · game · leaves · bear

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rule — government
  4. game — a match
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. season — in sport
  9. band — a ring
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rule — a law
  13. band — a music group
  14. game — wild animals
  15. season — of the year
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fine — high quality
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fine — all right
  24. season — to add flavour

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