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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — music
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — the month
  8. net — in sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — to cut
  14. march — the month
  15. club — a group
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. club — for golf
  23. staff — a stick
  24. club — for dancing

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