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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: content · rule · net · coach · track · deal · fall · tear

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. tear — from crying
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rule — government
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a song
  10. content — happy
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. track — to keep track
  15. tear — from crying
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. track — a path
  18. fall — to drop
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. net — in sport
  22. rule — a law
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tear — to rip

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