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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. drill — a practice
  3. firm — steady
  4. bulb — for light
  5. firm — decided
  6. kid — child
  7. net — in sport
  8. cap — a hat
  9. march — music
  10. drill — the tool
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. net — for catching
  13. march — the month
  14. firm — a company
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. kid — to tease
  18. drill — army training
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cap — of ice

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