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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. net — in sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cue — a signal
  6. root — of a plant
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cue — a hint
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fall — the season
  11. root — of a word
  12. net — for catching
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cue — for pool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. root — the cause
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. net — after costs

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