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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. roll — a cake
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bulb — for light
  13. roll — a list
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. net — for catching
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. rule — government
  21. rock — music
  22. net — in sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rule — a law

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