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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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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: present · fall · rule · fan · snap · row · ruler · rush

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — hurry
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rule — a law
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. snap — to click
  16. rule — government
  17. row — a line
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. present — there
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  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