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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: stick · drill · march · spring · kid · net · pass · suit

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. kid — child
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. spring — the season
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. net — in sport
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pass — a permit
  17. spring — of water
  18. suit — to fit
  19. drill — army training
  20. kid — to tease
  21. net — for catching
  22. drill — the tool
  23. spring — a coil
  24. suit — in cards

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