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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fall — the season
  6. net — after costs
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — for catching
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bass — low music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. pop — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pop — soda
  19. net — in sport
  20. rash — a series
  21. pop — to visit
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bass — the instrument

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