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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. present — there
  12. rock — a stone
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — a container
  20. drill — army training
  21. rock — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. march — the month
  24. present — the time now

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