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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: pass · pop · band · chip · mine · spring · court · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a music group
  9. bass — the fish
  10. spring — a coil
  11. court — of law
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pop — soda
  14. band — a ring
  15. spring — the season
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spring — of water
  21. court — for sport
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. band — a rubber band

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