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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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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: game · pitcher · board · mate · spell · bass · band · foot

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. band — a music group
  3. spell — letters
  4. bass — the fish
  5. game — a match
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. board — a committee
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. foot — a measure
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bass — low music
  14. band — a ring
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mate — a friend
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spell — magic
  23. board — to get on
  24. foot — part of the body

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