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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: game · perch · roll · deal · ruler · rule · root · net

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rule — a law
  6. root — of a word
  7. net — after costs
  8. roll — a cake
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. roll — a list
  14. game — wild animals
  15. perch — the fish
  16. game — a match
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rule — government
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. root — the cause
  24. ruler — for measuring

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