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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: rush · object · net · rule · arm · land · club · mine

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. object — an aim
  4. club — for golf
  5. net — after costs
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. land — ground
  8. net — for catching
  9. rule — government
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. land — to come down
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. object — a thing
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. net — in sport
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rush — hurry
  23. object — to protest
  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