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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bound — obliged
  5. branch — a division
  6. spell — letters
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. tear — from crying
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. net — in sport
  14. bound — certain
  15. spell — magic
  16. net — for catching
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rule — government
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rule — a law
  23. scale — in music
  24. mark — a grade

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