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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 120 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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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: pass · rule · race · rock · mouse · net · fall · content

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rule — government
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. fall — to drop
  7. race — the arms race
  8. net — after costs
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. race — humankind
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rock — music
  16. rule — a law
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. content — happy
  19. fall — the season
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. race — a contest
  24. net — for catching

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