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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ball — a great time
  7. lie — to recline
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. band — a music group
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. march — music
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wax — to grow
  16. march — the month
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. march — the month
  19. band — a ring
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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