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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: last · band · coach · scale · ball · land · bass · game

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. last — to go on
  3. land — a country
  4. band — a music group
  5. land — to come down
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. game — a match
  8. bass — low music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ball — a great time
  12. game — wild animals
  13. scale — in music
  14. land — ground
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — final
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — finally
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. band — a ring
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. scale — size or range

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