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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · net · sharp · kid · board · bass · bank · rash

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bank — for money
  3. rash — a series
  4. net — for catching
  5. bank — for money
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bass — the fish
  8. net — after costs
  9. chest — of your body
  10. sharp — clever
  11. board — to get on
  12. chest — a box
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. kid — to tease
  20. board — a committee
  21. kid — child
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bass — low music
  24. net — in sport

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