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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. club — for dancing
  3. net — after costs
  4. spring — of water
  5. net — for catching
  6. degree — an amount
  7. club — a group
  8. spring — a coil
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. firm — a company
  11. club — for golf
  12. spring — the season
  13. net — in sport
  14. firm — decided
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mate — a partner
  18. firm — steady
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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