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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. spell — letters
  3. rest — a break
  4. drill — a practice
  5. net — after costs
  6. root — the cause
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — a subject
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. field — farmland
  11. root — of a word
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — army training
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. net — in sport
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rule — government
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. field — for sport
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rule — a law
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spell — magic

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