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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: band · rule · lean · court · object · net · rest · pass

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. net — in sport
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. object — an aim
  5. rule — a law
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. object — a thing
  8. rule — government
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. court — of a king
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pass — a permit
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. object — to protest
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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