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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. cue — a hint
  5. roll — a list
  6. rule — a law
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. root — of a word
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. roll — a cake
  14. net — for catching
  15. cue — for pool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — government
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — the fruit
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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