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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: bulb · sharp · rush · cold · mug · net · bass · land

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. net — for catching
  4. cold — an illness
  5. land — ground
  6. mug — a face
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. land — to come down
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bass — the fish
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bulb — for light
  19. sharp — clever
  20. net — after costs
  21. bass — low music
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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