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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: rule · leaves · wind · can · net · degree · pop · roll

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rule — a law
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. net — for catching
  8. can — a tin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pop — music
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. rule — government
  24. pop — soda

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