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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: cell · game · pop · hand · stand · rule · shower · firm

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rule — a law
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — steady
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pop — soda
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pop — music
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hand — help
  19. rule — government
  20. game — wild animals
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. firm — decided
  24. game — a match

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