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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 almost out of ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a ring
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pop — music
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. degree — an amount
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. band — a music group
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitch — a sports field

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