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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. game — a match
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bank — of a river
  10. net — for catching
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. march — music
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bank — for money
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. net — in sport
  24. mark — a grade

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