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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: rule · pit · land · leaves · fall · net · sharp · mouse

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. net — for catching
  6. rule — a law
  7. land — ground
  8. sharp — clever
  9. net — after costs
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pit — in a race
  12. land — a country
  13. fall — to drop
  14. net — in sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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