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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rule — a law
  6. net — after costs
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pass — a permit
  10. net — for catching
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. march — the month
  14. stand — to bear
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — in sport
  19. rule — government
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — a jug

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