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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: rule · pop · rash · net · field · clip · fork · safe

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pop — music
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rule — a law
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. net — in sport
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rash — a series
  15. field — a subject
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. clip — a video
  19. field — farmland
  20. net — for catching
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. field — for sport
  24. net — after costs

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