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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 116 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: firm · bass · suit · net · last · ground · season · bulb

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. last — finally
  3. bass — the fish
  4. ground — crushed
  5. net — in sport
  6. last — final
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bass — low music
  11. season — of the year
  12. net — after costs
  13. bulb — for light
  14. firm — a company
  15. ground — a position
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — for catching
  18. suit — clothes
  19. season — in sport
  20. firm — steady
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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