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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. net — for catching
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. land — a country
  7. drill — a practice
  8. court — of a king
  9. land — to come down
  10. drill — army training
  11. rule — a law
  12. root — of a word
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. root — the cause
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. net — after costs
  17. drill — the tool
  18. land — ground
  19. court — for sport
  20. net — in sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rule — government
  24. court — of 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