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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: fan · nail · net · face · pound · fine · chair · bass

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bass — low music
  3. net — after costs
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. face — part of the head
  9. net — for catching
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chair — a leader
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. net — in sport
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. face — to confront
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pound — a weight

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