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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: bass · row · bound · file · track · pitcher · jam · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bass — low music
  3. rash — a series
  4. bound — tied together
  5. track — a song
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bound — obliged
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. file — a tool
  11. row — a line
  12. bound — certain
  13. track — a path
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. file — a document
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rash — hasty
  24. row — to paddle

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