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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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. march — music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spring — of water
  10. sharp — clever
  11. march — the month
  12. net — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. spring — a coil
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — for catching
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. suit — clothes
  22. spring — the season
  23. pass — a permit
  24. suit — to fit

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