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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: march · toast · deal · row · bass · net · game · pound

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. row — a line
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. net — in sport
  6. march — the month
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bass — low music
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. net — after costs
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. march — music
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. net — for catching
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bass — the fish
  23. march — the month
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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