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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mine — for digging
  5. foot — a measure
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. march — music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. net — in sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cap — of ice
  14. key — for a lock
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. key — in music
  18. net — for catching
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spring — of water
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cap — a hat

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