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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: wind · suit · lie · hand · net · bass · cold · cap

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bass — the fish
  7. suit — to fit
  8. lie — to recline
  9. suit — in cards
  10. wind — moving air
  11. net — in sport
  12. hand — help
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. suit — clothes
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bass — low music

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