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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bark · scale · rest · bass · net · game · toast · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. game — wild animals
  8. net — for catching
  9. bass — low music
  10. net — in sport
  11. chest — of your body
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. net — after costs
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rest — a break
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. game — a match
  18. bark — to shout
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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