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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: rule · press · degree · bay · snap · firm · fan · land

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. degree — temperature
  7. land — a country
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rule — a law
  10. press — to push
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. firm — a company
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. press — a publisher
  16. firm — decided
  17. snap — to click
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. degree — an amount
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rule — government
  24. firm — steady

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