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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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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. craft — boats
  4. bore — to tire
  5. last — to go on
  6. cue — a signal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. net — in sport
  9. last — final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cue — a hint
  13. craft — a skill
  14. last — finally
  15. cue — for pool
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bore — to drill
  24. patient — a sick person

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