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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. net — for catching
  3. bass — the fish
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. swing — in golf
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. net — after costs
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. swing — to play on
  19. net — in sport
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. swing — music
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cold — the Cold War

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