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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bass — low music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wind — moving air
  16. band — a music group
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. drill — army training
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. band — a ring
  24. wind — to turn a key

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