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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cap — of ice
  3. firm — decided
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. net — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. net — after costs
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mark — a trace
  14. row — a line
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bat — the animal
  17. march — music
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. net — for catching
  22. firm — steady
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. firm — a company

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