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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. march — the month
  4. net — after costs
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hand — help
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — in sport
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. march — music
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — the month
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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