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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. march — the month
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bank — for money
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. net — in sport
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bank — of a river
  18. march — the month
  19. net — after costs
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bank — for money
  23. march — music
  24. bear — the animal

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