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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: date · rule · cue · sharp · plane · bass · tear · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rule — a law
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cue — a signal
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. tear — to rip
  15. net — after costs
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cue — a hint
  18. plane — a tool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. net — for catching
  22. rule — government
  23. tear — from crying
  24. sharp — clever

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