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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: net · hide · mug · dip · saw · kid · bass · rock

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. net — in sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bass — the fish
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rock — music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mug — a face
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. net — for catching
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. net — after costs
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. kid — child
  22. mug — a cup
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. saw — the tool

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