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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.

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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: band · bat · ruler · mark · clip · cue · bass · pitch

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. band — a music group
  3. cue — a hint
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. band — a ring
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bass — low music

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