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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rule · last · deal · chip · fan · leaves · row · plane

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. last — final
  4. deal — to handle
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chip — for betting
  10. last — finally
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. row — a line
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. chip — to eat
  20. plane — a tool
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. last — to go on

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