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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rule — a law
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rule — government
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. net — after costs
  9. key — in music
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. net — for catching
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. rule — to rule out

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