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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: snap · net · foot · present · saw · sharp · bass · band

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bass — the fish
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. saw — the tool
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. snap — to click
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — there
  16. net — in sport
  17. foot — a measure
  18. band — a music group
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bass — low music
  21. net — after costs
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. band — a ring
  24. net — for catching

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