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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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 — low music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. net — for catching
  4. chest — a box
  5. bore — to drill
  6. land — a country
  7. ball — a dance
  8. land — to come down
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. net — in sport
  12. land — ground
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bore — to tire
  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