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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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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: march · plane · bear · rule · spell · bat · mug · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rule — government
  3. mug — to rob
  4. spell — a short time
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. march — the month
  9. net — for catching
  10. rule — a law
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spell — magic
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spell — letters
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. net — in sport
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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