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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. net — for catching
  4. bound — certain
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. kick — in football
  12. net — in sport
  13. bound — obliged
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. march — the month

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