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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — low music
  4. staff — employees
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bound — certain
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rule — government
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. staff — employees
  23. land — ground
  24. bound — tied together

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