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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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468
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: net · sharp · bass · tube · pit · dip · fine · mate

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bass — low music
  8. fine — all right
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. net — for catching
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mate — a friend
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pit — in a race
  17. tube — the underground
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. tube — a container
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bass — the fish
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. dip — to sink

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