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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.

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: land · march · board · rush · game · bass · mug · bulb

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rush — hurry
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mug — a face
  6. board — a committee
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mug — a cup
  12. march — the month
  13. mug — to rob
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. march — music
  22. board — to get on
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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