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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. drill — army training
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rule — a law
  7. net — in sport
  8. snap — to click
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. drill — a practice
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. face — to confront
  20. rule — government
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. dip — to sink

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