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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.

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: bear · bass · pitcher · leaves · content · calf · snap · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. net — for catching
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bear — the animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. content — happy
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bass — the fish
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. net — in sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. content — the amount
  20. snap — to click
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bass — low music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. leaves — of a tree

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