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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 · track · bass · staff · kick · coach · tear · band

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bass — low music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tear — from crying
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tear — to rip
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. bass — the fish
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. staff — employees
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. staff — employees
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. track — a path
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. game — wild animals
  20. tear — from crying
  21. track — a song
  22. kick — in football
  23. staff — a stick
  24. game — a match

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