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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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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: club · fan · stand · rule · spell · hand · ball · tear

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. hand — help
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rule — government
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rule — a law
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spell — letters
  14. tear — from crying
  15. club — a group
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — to rip
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. club — for golf
  22. spell — magic
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spell — a short time

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