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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.

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: bank · ground · bass · jam · straw · chest · court · date

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ground — the earth
  8. court — of a king
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bass — low music
  12. ground — crushed
  13. chest — of your body
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bass — the fish
  16. court — for sport
  17. date — the fruit
  18. ground — a position
  19. bank — for money
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. court — of law
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bank — for money
  24. jam — a tight spot

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