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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: bass · band · pitcher · content · swing · hand · pass · roll

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. band — a ring
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. hand — help
  7. bass — low music
  8. content — happy
  9. swing — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — to play on
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pass — a permit
  14. roll — a list
  15. content — the amount
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. band — a music group
  24. roll — a cake

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