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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · rule · bass · pitcher · ball · rush · mine · firm

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bass — the fish
  5. firm — a company
  6. rest — a break
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bass — low music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. firm — steady
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mine — for digging
  16. firm — decided
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — government
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rule — a law
  24. pitcher — a jug

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