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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.

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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. file — a tool
  3. suit — in cards
  4. net — after costs
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. suit — clothes
  8. net — for catching
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. net — in sport
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bank — for money
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mark — a grade
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pop — soda
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mark — a trace
  22. suit — to fit
  23. snap — to click
  24. file — a document

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