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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: wave · pass · court · land · track · rule · bass · fan

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. rule — government
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a song
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. court — of a king
  8. land — ground
  9. bass — low music
  10. pass — a permit
  11. land — to come down
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rule — a law
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. track — a path
  23. wave — with your hand
  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