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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. net — after costs
  3. rush — hurry
  4. march — the month
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. foot — a measure
  9. perch — the fish
  10. march — music
  11. object — to protest
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. object — a thing
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — the month
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. staff — a stick
  22. object — an aim
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wound — an injury

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