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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: season · game · pass · fan · degree · pitcher · bass · track

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — to keep track
  4. game — wild animals
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — the fish
  11. degree — an amount
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. season — in sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bass — low music

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