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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rule — a law
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. land — a country
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. ball — a dance
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rule — government
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. lean — thin
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mouse — for a computer

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