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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. net — after costs
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. key — in music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pass — a permit
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. capital — money
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. season — of the year
  12. net — for catching
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. capital — a city
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bear — the animal
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. season — in sport
  22. net — in sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. march — music

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