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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bass — low music
  4. net — for catching
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. scale — in music
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. net — in sport
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. net — after costs
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mate — to breed
  24. scale — size or range

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