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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — a hat
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bass — low music
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. object — an aim
  13. net — in sport
  14. row — a line
  15. bass — the fish
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. object — to protest
  19. net — after costs
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. march — music
  23. cap — a lid
  24. net — for catching

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