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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. row — a line
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. net — for catching
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. game — a match
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. scale — in music
  14. march — the month
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. row — to paddle
  17. net — in sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — wild animals
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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