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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · mine · season · march · bass · fan · bore · net

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. season — of the year
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bore — to drill
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bass — the fish
  21. season — in sport
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. march — the month
  24. net — after costs

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