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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rule — a law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. staff — a stick
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rock — a stone
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. drill — army training
  15. net — in sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rule — government
  23. bat — the animal
  24. net — for catching

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