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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: toast · fine · net · chest · bass · chip · lash · present

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fine — high quality
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. bass — low music
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. net — for catching
  14. toast — bread
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chest — a box
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chip — for betting
  24. present — the time now

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