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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: mouse · fall · jam · rule · season · arm · fan · net

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. season — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. fall — the season
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. rule — government
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — of the year
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fall — to drop
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. fall — to drop
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. mouse — the animal

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