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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. present — the time now
  4. net — after costs
  5. hand — in cards
  6. sharp — clever
  7. band — a music group
  8. mug — a face
  9. present — a gift
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. present — there
  13. rule — a law
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hand — help
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mug — to rob
  22. band — a ring
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitcher — a jug

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