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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. land — a country
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rule — government
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. content — the amount
  9. rest — what's left
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rule — a law
  14. mug — a face
  15. rest — a break
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cell — in biology
  18. land — to come down
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. content — happy
  21. land — ground
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wake — a trail

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