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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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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — magic
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tube — a container
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spell — a short time
  12. court — of law
  13. land — ground
  14. tube — the underground
  15. court — for sport
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. land — to come down
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. spell — letters
  22. court — of a king
  23. land — a country
  24. rule — a law

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