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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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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: bound · bass · bay · hide · net · nail · present · kid

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bass — the fish
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. present — there
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bound — certain
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. net — in sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. present — the time now
  19. net — for catching
  20. present — a gift
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  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