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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. net — for catching
  6. bank — for money
  7. chip — to eat
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — music
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bass — low music
  14. net — in sport
  15. chip — for betting
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cabinet — ministers

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