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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. march — the month
  5. net — for catching
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — ground
  10. band — a music group
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. squash — the sport
  16. march — music
  17. rush — hurry
  18. band — a ring
  19. bass — the fish
  20. march — the month
  21. net — after costs
  22. bass — low music
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. calf — a young animal

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