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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. land — ground
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rule — government
  10. land — to come down
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. can — a tin
  13. bound — certain
  14. wake — a trail
  15. land — a country
  16. pop — soda
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rock — music
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. can — a tin
  24. rock — a stone

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