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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bass — the fish
  6. squash — to crush
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bank — for money
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a ring
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mate — a friend
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bank — of a river
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitch — completely

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