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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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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: net · stand · march · kick · lie · race · mug · mouse

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — in sport
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mug — a face
  11. net — for catching
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stand — to bear
  14. race — humankind
  15. kick — in football
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. race — a contest
  18. march — the month
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. race — the arms race
  21. march — music
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mug — to rob

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