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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. land — ground
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rule — government
  5. land — a country
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rule — a law
  11. key — in music
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. roll — a list
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pop — soda
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — to come down

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