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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. shower — to wash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bass — low music
  5. band — a ring
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. roll — a list
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. content — the amount
  15. pitch — completely
  16. content — happy
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bass — the fish
  20. shower — rain
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. band — a music group
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pitcher — a jug

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