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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: cue · bulb · bass · sharp · bear · land · net · last

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cue — for pool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bear — the animal
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — after costs
  7. land — ground
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. last — final
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — to go on
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. land — a country
  17. bass — the fish
  18. last — finally
  19. net — in sport
  20. cue — a signal
  21. land — to come down
  22. net — for catching
  23. cue — a hint
  24. sharp — clever

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