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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · race · degree · rule · mug · staff

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rule — government
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. race — a contest
  6. staff — employees
  7. mug — a face
  8. degree — temperature
  9. staff — a stick
  10. degree — an amount
  11. race — humankind
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rule — a law
  14. staff — employees
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mug — a cup
  17. degree — from a university
  18. race — the arms race

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