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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: squash · band · racket · key · coach · pound · bass · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bass — the fish
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bass — low music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a music group
  9. squash — the sport
  10. game — a match
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. key — in music
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. squash — to crush
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. band — a ring

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