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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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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: racket · bear · suit · pitcher · march · last · net · stem

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. last — final
  3. suit — to fit
  4. march — the month
  5. last — finally
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. last — to go on
  10. net — for catching
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bear — the animal
  15. suit — clothes
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bear — the animal
  22. net — in sport
  23. suit — in cards
  24. racket — for tennis

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