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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. drill — a practice
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rock — music
  7. hand — help
  8. ball — a dance
  9. current — electric
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. march — music
  14. current — of water
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rock — a stone
  17. net — for catching
  18. current — happening now
  19. drill — army training
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rock — to move gently

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