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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. land — to come down
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. land — ground
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — rain
  12. rule — a law
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stand — to bear
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. rule — government
  22. land — a country
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pitch — completely

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