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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 · arm · mate · bass · cold · foot · pass · straw

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bass — low music
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. band — a music group
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bass — the fish
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mate — a partner
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pass — a permit
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cold — not warm

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