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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. net — in sport
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. branch — a division
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. net — after costs
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rule — government
  12. cue — a signal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cue — for pool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. land — a country
  17. rush — hurry
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. net — for catching
  23. rule — a law
  24. rush — a thrill

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