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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.

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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: mate · date · net · calf · stock · racket · jam · rule

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rule — government
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mate — a partner
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. net — in sport
  12. rule — a law
  13. net — for catching
  14. mate — a friend
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stock — shares
  22. net — after costs
  23. stock — goods
  24. racket — for tennis

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