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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. land — to come down
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fine — high quality
  7. hand — help
  8. pop — music
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rule — a law
  15. bat — the animal
  16. club — a group
  17. land — ground
  18. rule — government
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. land — a country
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. club — for golf
  24. fine — all right

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