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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bank — for money
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cold — not warm
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bank — for money
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bass — low music
  21. net — in sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rash — a series

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