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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rest — what's left
  3. drill — a practice
  4. march — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. club — for golf
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mine — for digging
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. club — a group
  11. present — the time now
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. march — the month
  15. net — in sport
  16. march — the month
  17. present — there
  18. drill — army training
  19. net — after costs
  20. drill — the tool
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rest — what's left
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rest — a break

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