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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. net — for catching
  4. wind — moving air
  5. net — in sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rest — a break
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bass — the fish

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