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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rule — a law
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. root — of a word
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — government
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mark — a trace
  13. net — in sport
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. root — the cause
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. root — of a plant
  21. net — for catching
  22. pop — soda
  23. mark — a grade
  24. nail — on a finger

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