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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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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: bass · deal · racket · hand · band · race · jam · present

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. race — a contest
  3. hand — help
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bass — low music
  7. present — the time now
  8. race — the arms race
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. present — there
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. deal — to handle
  13. race — humankind
  14. band — a music group
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. band — a ring
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bass — the fish
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. present — a gift

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