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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. net — after costs
  3. root — of a word
  4. fall — to drop
  5. staff — a stick
  6. root — the cause
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. net — in sport
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rule — government
  12. root — of a plant
  13. stock — shares
  14. staff — employees
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. net — for catching
  21. staff — employees
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. branch — of a tree

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