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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: calf · rush · net · staff · bass · date · snap · mate

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. net — for catching
  3. bass — low music
  4. net — in sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rush — hurry
  10. snap — to click
  11. mate — a partner
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mate — a friend
  19. net — after costs
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bass — the fish
  24. calf — of the leg

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