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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: last · degree · shower · rock · stand · net · bass · dip

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bass — low music
  3. net — for catching
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bass — the fish
  7. net — in sport
  8. last — final
  9. shower — rain
  10. last — finally
  11. rock — music
  12. shower — to wash
  13. last — to go on
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. net — after costs
  20. dip — to sink
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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