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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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 — for catching
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. band — a music group
  4. stock — shares
  5. mug — to rob
  6. band — a ring
  7. mug — a cup
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spell — letters
  11. rule — government
  12. stock — goods
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. net — in sport
  22. mug — a face
  23. net — after costs
  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