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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: wind · game · spell · rule · mark · racket · net · track

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rule — government
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wind — moving air
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wind — moving air
  11. net — in sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. track — a path
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. net — for catching
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. game — a match
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. net — after costs
  23. game — wild animals
  24. track — a song

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