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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. land — to come down
  4. content — happy
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — the amount
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rule — government
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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