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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. root — the cause
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. net — in sport
  8. land — a country
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. kick — in football
  11. rock — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. land — ground
  14. root — of a word
  15. bass — the fish
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. land — to come down
  22. root — of a plant
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. lash — to lash out

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