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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: season · last · mouse · bass · net · safe · content · firm

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bass — low music
  3. content — the amount
  4. firm — a company
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. firm — steady
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. bass — the fish
  11. firm — decided
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. net — after costs
  15. last — finally
  16. content — happy
  17. net — for catching
  18. last — final
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. last — to go on
  21. net — in sport
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. season — of the year
  24. content — videos and posts

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