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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 120 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: wound · cue · net · sharp · spell · plane · staff · rule

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. staff — employees
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cue — a signal
  5. net — for catching
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cue — a hint
  10. net — after costs
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — in sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. spell — magic
  18. staff — a stick
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — letters

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