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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: land · date · fine · can · hide · degree · fan · rule

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. land — a country
  3. fine — all right
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — to come down
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rule — a law
  10. fine — high quality
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. can — a tin
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rule — government
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. land — ground
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rule — to rule out

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