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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rule — government
  7. net — after costs
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. net — in sport
  21. cell — in biology
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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