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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: wound · rush · bay · drill · bass · sharp · fine · mate

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mate — a partner
  5. drill — army training
  6. fine — all right
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bass — low music
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mate — a friend
  14. drill — the tool
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rush — hurry
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bay — a horse colour

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