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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: wound · swing · bass · mouse · cap · net · toast · safe

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. swing — to play on
  3. net — after costs
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cap — a hat
  7. toast — bread
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. net — in sport
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bass — the fish
  15. net — for catching
  16. cap — of ice
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. swing — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bass — low music

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