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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 120 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: bass · mark · lean · bat · net · wound · fine · club

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lean — thin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fine — all right
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mark — a grade
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. net — for catching
  13. bass — low music
  14. net — in sport
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bass — the fish
  17. club — a group
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. club — for golf
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. net — after costs
  24. wound — an injury

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