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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: shower · band · pit · bass · firm · net

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. firm — decided
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. firm — steady
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. shower — rain
  11. bass — low music
  12. firm — a company
  13. band — a ring
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pit — a hole
  16. band — a music group
  17. bass — the fish
  18. net — for catching

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