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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. net — for catching
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — after costs
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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