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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: bound · degree · fall · rest · racket · bass · game · rush

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bass — low music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bound — certain
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — tied together
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. degree — an amount
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rest — a break
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — a thrill

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