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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lean — thin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. land — a country
  9. lean — to bend
  10. march — the month
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. net — in sport
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. net — after costs
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — for catching

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