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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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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. band — a ring
  5. sharp — clever
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cell — in biology
  8. race — the arms race
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. band — a music group
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. race — a contest
  16. rush — hurry
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bass — the fish
  20. race — humankind
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bass — low 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