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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bank — for money
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. row — to paddle
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bank — of a river
  14. band — a music group
  15. fine — all right
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. band — a ring
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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