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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. march — the month
  3. rule — a law
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. capital — a city
  7. net — in sport
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — after costs
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. march — music
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bark — to shout
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. capital — money
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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