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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. object — to protest
  3. net — after costs
  4. rock — music
  5. mate — a partner
  6. net — for catching
  7. pit — in a race
  8. march — the month
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. net — in sport
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. object — a thing
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — a weight
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — a friend
  21. object — an aim
  22. march — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cold — the Cold War

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