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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fall — the season
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. chair — a leader
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rule — government
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bear — the animal

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