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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: fan · fine · track · wave · game · content · row · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. content — the amount
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. row — a line
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fine — high quality
  16. content — happy
  17. game — a match
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. content — videos and posts

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