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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. band — a music group
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. roll — a list
  17. bass — low music
  18. band — a ring
  19. cold — an illness
  20. season — of the year
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. roll — a cake
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. season — in sport

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