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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · tear · mouse · mug · chair · pass · craft · net

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. mug — a cup
  4. march — the month
  5. pass — a permit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. net — in sport
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. march — the month
  10. chair — a leader
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. mug — to rob
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mug — a face
  19. craft — boats
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. craft — a skill
  24. chair — a professorship

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