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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: game · bass · pitcher · present · fine · ball · band · rest

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. present — there
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. present — a gift
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bass — low music
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — wild animals
  15. band — a ring
  16. bass — the fish
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. band — a music group
  22. present — the time now
  23. fine — a penalty
  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