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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: racket · rock · cap · branch · bass · pitcher · jam · game

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rock — music
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rock — a stone
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the fish
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — a match
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. branch — a division
  24. jam — in traffic

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