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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. net — after costs
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rash — a series
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mine — for digging
  18. net — for catching
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bound — certain
  21. net — in sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wax — to grow

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