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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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Word bank
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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: fan · shower · rule · ball · date · press · land · mug

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. 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. press — newspapers
  2. rule — a law
  3. ball — a great time
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ball — a dance
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. press — to push
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mug — to rob
  17. shower — rain
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rule — government
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. 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