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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rule — a law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rash — hasty
  7. land — a country
  8. rash — a series
  9. land — ground
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cap — of ice
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — help
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rule — government
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cap — a lid
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — to come down

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