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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
468
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: ground · net · safe · degree · plane · rule · bark · chair

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ground — a position
  4. net — in sport
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ground — the earth
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. net — after costs
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. net — for catching
  21. plane — a tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ground — crushed

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