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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rash · rush · ball · tube · bear · bass · bat

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. bear — the animal
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. tube — a container
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bass — low music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bass — the fish
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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