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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mate — a friend
  6. firm — a company
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ground — a position
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fine — all right
  15. net — in sport
  16. spring — a coil
  17. firm — steady
  18. march — the month
  19. ground — the earth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — crushed
  22. firm — decided
  23. net — for catching
  24. spring — the season

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