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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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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: fall · stick · fan · calf · rule · craft · arm · date

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. craft — a skill
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. craft — boats
  13. date — the fruit
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. fall — the season
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. calf — of the leg

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