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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. firm — a company
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. firm — decided
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. squash — to crush
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rush — hurry
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hand — help
  21. foot — a measure
  22. firm — steady
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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