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

Word bank: tear · safe · rule · land · mate · cell · scale · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rule — government
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. scale — in music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. scale — size or range
  13. tear — from crying
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. land — ground
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — to breed
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cell — in biology

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