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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rule — a law
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. last — final
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. last — finally
  7. rule — government
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. degree — from a university
  10. land — a country
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. degree — temperature
  21. land — to come down
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. last — to go on
  24. bass — low music

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