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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: bass · season · face · object · root · lash · cold · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. object — an aim
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. object — a thing
  6. net — for catching
  7. bass — low music
  8. root — the cause
  9. cold — not warm
  10. object — to protest
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. season — of the year
  14. net — in sport
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. season — in sport
  21. face — to confront
  22. cold — an illness
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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