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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. net — for catching
  4. face — to confront
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — after costs
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. net — in sport
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wind — moving air

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