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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rule — a law
  3. land — ground
  4. net — in sport
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. rule — government
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. net — after costs
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. land — to come down
  19. net — for catching
  20. row — a line
  21. suit — clothes
  22. land — a country
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bear — the animal

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