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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bass · tube · snap · chest · net · fine · mug · date

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bass — low music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bass — the fish
  5. net — after costs
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mug — a cup
  8. chest — a box
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. tube — a container
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fine — all right
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — to rob
  22. snap — to click
  23. date — the fruit
  24. tube — in a tire

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