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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
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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: march · ball · fan · leaves · pass · net · coach · hand

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — help
  5. pass — a permit
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. march — music
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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