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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 124 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. file — a tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. court — of law
  5. march — the month
  6. net — for catching
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. march — music
  13. craft — boats
  14. board — a committee
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. net — in sport
  17. file — a document
  18. court — for sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. march — the month
  21. file — a line of people
  22. board — to get on
  23. court — of a king
  24. craft — a skill

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