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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 116 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: rule · scale · stick · rash · net · race · object · leaves

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rule — a law
  3. net — in sport
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. race — humankind
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. net — for catching
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rule — government
  10. rash — a series
  11. race — a contest
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. object — to protest
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. net — after costs
  16. object — a thing
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rash — hasty
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. object — an aim
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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