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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: rule · land · hand · club · date · pass

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hand — help
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. hand — in cards
  8. club — a group
  9. land — ground
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. club — for dancing
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rule — a law
  14. club — for golf
  15. pass — a permit
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pass — to succeed

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