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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
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: bass · deal · rash · net · cell · game · content · toast

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. content — happy
  4. toast — bread
  5. game — a match
  6. net — in sport
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bass — the fish
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. net — after costs
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rash — a series
  18. net — for catching
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bass — low music
  24. content — the amount

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