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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: rule · rock · saw · pitch · fine · net · rush · rash

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rock — a stone
  4. net — after costs
  5. fine — high quality
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fine — all right
  13. rule — a law
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. net — for catching
  18. rock — music
  19. net — in sport
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rule — government
  24. rash — a series

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