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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: deal · plane · rule · wound · saw · net · roll · capital

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. net — for catching
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. saw — the tool
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. rule — government
  9. plane — a tool
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. capital — a city
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. roll — a cake
  19. deal — to handle
  20. roll — a list
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rule — a law
  24. wound — an injury

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