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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cue — a hint
  4. ground — a position
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. rest — a break
  8. ground — crushed
  9. row — to paddle
  10. march — music
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. march — the month
  15. fall — the season
  16. march — the month
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — what's left
  22. net — in sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. net — after costs

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