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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: rock · last · net · root · straw · pit · fall · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. last — final
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. net — for catching
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fall — the season
  13. last — finally
  14. root — of a word
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. root — of a plant
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. root — the cause
  20. fall — to drop
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. last — to go on
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rock — music

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