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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. can — a tin
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. scale — size or range
  9. court — of law
  10. net — in sport
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. court — of a king
  16. stem — to come from
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. scale — in music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. can — a tin
  23. net — for catching
  24. court — for sport

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