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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: net · mark · race · mate · rule · bass · dip · mug

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. net — for catching
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rule — a law
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. net — after costs
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mug — a cup
  14. race — humankind
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mug — to rob
  20. net — in sport
  21. race — a contest
  22. rule — government
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mug — a face

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