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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 116 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: sharp · stand · object · saw · cold · pit · net · rule

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — in sport
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rule — government
  10. object — an aim
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stand — to bear
  15. saw — the tool
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. sharp — clever
  19. net — after costs
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pit — a hole
  24. saw — the tool

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