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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.

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: net · march · stick · can · ground · row · race · face

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — the month
  6. net — in sport
  7. race — humankind
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — the arms race
  10. face — part of the head
  11. row — a line
  12. net — for catching
  13. can — a tin
  14. ground — the earth
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. face — to confront
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. march — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. march — the month
  23. can — to be able to
  24. race — a contest

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