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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. march — the month
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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