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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: net · board · rush · arm · fall · track · pop · bass

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pop — music
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — a song
  5. net — after costs
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fall — the season
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. net — for catching
  14. fall — to drop
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. net — in sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — soda
  21. board — to get on
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pop — to visit

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