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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. row — to paddle
  7. net — after costs
  8. row — a line
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. band — a music group
  11. bass — low music
  12. rule — a law
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rule — government
  17. net — for catching
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pound — a weight
  21. net — in sport
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rest — a break
  24. pound — to hit hard

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