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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: coach · chest · pitch · bass · fan · band · scale · kid

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. band — a ring
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. kid — child
  8. band — a music group
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bass — low music
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — in music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. scale — size or range
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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