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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: nail · bass · pass · clip · charge · band · row · court

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. court — for sport
  3. bass — the fish
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. charge — in control
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a ring
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pass — a permit
  15. court — of law
  16. clip — a video
  17. row — a line
  18. bass — low music
  19. court — of a king
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. row — to paddle
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. charge — a price
  24. clip — to cut

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