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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: cell · net · wound · rule · sharp · date · mug · snap

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mug — a face
  3. net — after costs
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to click
  6. mug — to rob
  7. sharp — clever
  8. net — for catching
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mug — a cup
  14. net — in sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cell — in biology
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rule — government
  22. wound — an injury
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cell — a phone

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