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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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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. race — humankind
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. net — for catching
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rule — government
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rule — a law
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — a leader
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. race — a contest
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. net — in 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