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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: band · race · net · mate · bass · roll · rush · mug

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mate — to breed
  3. net — for catching
  4. rush — hurry
  5. net — after costs
  6. roll — a list
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. roll — a cake
  10. net — in sport
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mate — a partner
  18. band — a ring
  19. bass — the fish
  20. race — a contest
  21. band — a music group
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bass — low music

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