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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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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: safe · clip · net · game · stock · rule · root · wake

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. net — for catching
  3. root — of a plant
  4. clip — a video
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. net — after costs
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. game — wild animals
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — a trail
  18. game — a match
  19. root — of a word
  20. rule — government
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. net — in sport

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