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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: row · key · drill · cold · pound · bass · suit · net

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bass — low music
  7. suit — clothes
  8. net — after costs
  9. key — for a lock
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. suit — in cards
  15. key — the most important part
  16. drill — army training
  17. cold — not warm
  18. key — in music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pound — a weight
  22. suit — to fit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pound — to hit hard

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