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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: bass · suit · content · net · board · rash · last · bulb

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. board — a committee
  8. bulb — for light
  9. content — happy
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bass — low music
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. board — to get on
  15. rash — hasty
  16. last — finally
  17. net — after costs
  18. bulb — for light
  19. suit — in cards
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. rash — a series
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. last — to go on

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