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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: jam · mine · bass · band · rock · bat · race · object

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. object — a thing
  5. band — a music group
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rock — a stone
  8. band — a ring
  9. rock — music
  10. race — the arms race
  11. object — an aim
  12. race — a contest
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. object — to protest
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. race — humankind
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rock — to move gently

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