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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.

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 · rash · bear · snap · net · season · chair · stick

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. net — after costs
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. net — for catching
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. season — in sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. season — of the year
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. net — in sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rash — a series
  21. bass — low music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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