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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bass — the fish
  3. kick — in football
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. net — after costs
  7. land — a country
  8. march — the month
  9. land — to come down
  10. net — in sport
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mate — a partner
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bass — low music
  17. net — for catching
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. mate — a friend
  24. nail — on a finger

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