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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.

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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: fan · ground · rule · plane · chest · content · track · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. chest — of your body
  5. content — happy
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. track — a song
  12. content — the amount
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bore — to tire
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chest — a box
  18. ground — crushed
  19. track — a path
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. fan — to cool the air

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