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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: mate · roll · toast · club · bass · net · bore · wind

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. net — after costs
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. club — for golf
  5. net — for catching
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. club — a group
  10. roll — a cake
  11. net — in sport
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bore — to drill
  19. roll — a list
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mate — to breed

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