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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. net — after costs
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. last — final
  5. date — the fruit
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. last — finally
  10. pop — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. last — to go on
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rule — government
  18. track — a path
  19. pop — soda
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lean — to bend
  22. track — to keep track
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. track — a song

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