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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 124 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — for catching
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. march — music
  12. stand — to bear
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. net — in sport
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. hand — help
  24. shower — rain

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