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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bass — the fish
  4. land — ground
  5. net — after costs
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — for catching
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — to visit
  12. firm — decided
  13. degree — an amount
  14. land — a country
  15. degree — temperature
  16. firm — steady
  17. pop — soda
  18. firm — a company
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pop — music
  21. land — to come down
  22. bass — low music
  23. net — in sport
  24. cold — not warm

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