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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · key · jam · rule · rest · wind

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rest — a break
  6. rule — government
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rule — a law
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rest — what's left
  12. key — in music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — to come down
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — the most important part
  18. land — a country

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