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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. march — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. march — the month
  7. rule — a law
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. bore — to drill
  11. net — for catching
  12. bore — to tire
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. march — the month
  15. rule — government
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. club — for dancing
  21. net — in sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. board — a committee

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