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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: jam · bulb · rule · land · scale · snap · fine · row

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. land — to come down
  3. scale — in music
  4. land — ground
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fine — all right
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rule — a law
  14. snap — to click
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. rule — government
  17. bulb — for light
  18. row — a line
  19. land — a country
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. jam — in traffic

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