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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 120 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: mine · mouse · net · chip · bass · face · cold · tube

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. face — to point toward
  3. net — for catching
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. tube — a container
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. bass — low music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cold — not warm
  21. face — part of the head
  22. chip — to eat
  23. net — in sport
  24. mine — for digging

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