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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wind — moving air
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. shower — rain
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pop — music
  10. craft — a skill
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pop — soda
  14. bound — certain
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rule — a law
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pop — to visit
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. shower — to wash
  23. craft — boats
  24. fan — a supporter

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