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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. craft — a skill
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. craft — boats
  12. bat — the animal
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. pass — a permit
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bore — to tire
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pass — to spend time

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