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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. net — after costs
  3. mate — a partner
  4. present — a gift
  5. net — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — in football
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. mate — a friend
  10. present — there
  11. march — the month
  12. net — for catching
  13. march — the month
  14. can — a tin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. vault — a safe
  20. present — the time now
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. march — music
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. can — a tin

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