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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rule · spell · net · hide · bass · bat · wave · mine

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spell — a short time
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — low music
  5. rule — a law
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rule — government
  10. spell — letters
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — magic
  19. bat — the animal
  20. net — for catching
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. net — in sport
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. hide — animal skin

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