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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: bass · ruler · net · march · face · cap · wind · wake

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — for catching
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. face — to point toward
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — low music
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cap — of ice
  21. face — to confront
  22. cap — a lid
  23. march — music
  24. bass — the fish

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