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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. land — to come down
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — a song
  5. rule — a law
  6. track — a path
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wake — a trail
  10. land — ground
  11. cue — for pool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cue — a hint
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rule — government
  16. net — for catching
  17. staff — employees
  18. net — after costs
  19. land — a country
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rush — hurry

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