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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mark — a trace
  3. net — in sport
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. spell — a short time
  8. net — after costs
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — magic
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rule — government
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — a group
  17. spell — letters
  18. club — for golf
  19. fork — in a road
  20. net — for catching
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. board — to get on
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fork — to eat with

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