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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — after costs
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — for catching
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. net — in sport
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. root — of a plant
  16. season — of the year
  17. mine — for digging
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. root — of a word
  20. bass — the fish
  21. season — in sport
  22. root — the cause
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. safe — out of danger

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