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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — low music
  3. net — after costs
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fine — all right
  6. land — ground
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. club — for dancing
  9. net — for catching
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. club — for golf
  12. land — to come down
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. club — a group
  17. land — a country
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rush — hurry
  20. net — in sport
  21. dip — to sink
  22. fine — high quality
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — to handle

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