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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. pop — music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mine — for digging
  6. band — a ring
  7. pop — to visit
  8. charge — a price
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rule — a law
  11. pop — soda
  12. cue — for pool
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. band — a music group
  16. net — in sport
  17. key — in music
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — a hint

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