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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cue — for pool
  5. band — a ring
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — rain
  9. band — a music group
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. swing — to play on
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cue — a hint
  18. swing — music

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