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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bank — for money
  4. bass — low music
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. net — in sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. net — after costs
  10. ball — a great time
  11. board — to get on
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. march — music
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. spell — a short time
  21. net — for catching
  22. spell — letters
  23. ball — a dance
  24. spell — magic

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