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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · rule · race · rest · jam · deal

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rest — what's left
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rule — government
  9. race — a contest
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bass — the fish
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rest — a break
  14. rule — a law
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. race — the arms race
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. race — humankind

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