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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. land — a country
  8. saw — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rule — a law
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rule — government
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. dip — to sink
  24. saw — the tool

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