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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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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. key — in music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rock — music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bass — low music
  14. net — in sport
  15. rock — a stone
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. net — for catching
  18. key — for a lock

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