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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. net — after costs
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. lie — to recline
  6. march — the month
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. net — for catching
  10. deal — to handle
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bound — obliged
  13. net — in sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — the month
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bound — tied together
  24. deal — a big deal

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