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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.

Make a worksheet

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: roll · club · net · rest · cap · row · bass · leaves

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. roll — a list
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rest — what's left
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. net — in sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. net — after costs
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bass — the fish
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bass — low music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rest — what's left
  17. row — to paddle
  18. club — a group
  19. row — a line
  20. club — for golf
  21. net — for catching
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. roll — on a roll

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