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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. roll — a list
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mark — a grade
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. land — to come down
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. key — for a lock
  10. roll — a cake
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. land — ground
  14. key — the most important part
  15. present — there
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. land — a country
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. key — in music
  21. mark — a trace
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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