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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. hand — in cards
  3. net — after costs
  4. root — of a plant
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. rule — a law
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. squash — to crush
  10. net — in sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cold — an illness
  13. root — the cause
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. hand — help
  16. bass — low music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rule — government
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. root — of a word
  21. net — for catching
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. squash — the sport

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