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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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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: kid · net · branch · date · sharp · staff · rule · mark

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. staff — a stick
  3. date — the fruit
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. net — in sport
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. net — after costs
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kid — child
  17. mark — a grade
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — to tease
  20. net — for catching
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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