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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — a country
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spell — letters
  8. bound — certain
  9. land — ground
  10. shower — rain
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bound — obliged
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rule — government
  19. bound — tied together
  20. land — to come down
  21. rule — a law
  22. net — after costs
  23. spell — magic
  24. net — for catching

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