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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.

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: rule · land · leaves · mark · game · band · mate · fall

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. land — a country
  4. band — a music group
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — ground
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mark — a trace
  11. band — a ring
  12. fall — the season
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rule — a law
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mate — a friend
  20. land — to come down
  21. rule — government
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. leaves — to go away

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