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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — after costs
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. net — for catching
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fine — high quality
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. board — a committee
  10. march — the month
  11. pitch — completely
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. foot — a measure
  15. march — music
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. net — in sport
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. board — to get on

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