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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
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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: fine · nail · mate · saw · perch · hand · root · rule

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mate — a partner
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rule — a law
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — help
  13. root — the cause
  14. mate — to breed
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fine — all right
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. root — of a word
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. root — of a plant
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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