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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: rest · ball · band · bore · date · game · fork · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. date — the fruit
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bore — to drill
  10. band — a ring
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. band — a music group
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. game — a match
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fork — in a road
  23. game — wild animals
  24. date — on the calendar

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