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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. net — after costs
  3. rule — government
  4. net — for catching
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rest — what's left
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rule — a law
  11. rest — a break
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. net — in sport
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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