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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: ball · bass · pass · chip · wind · jam · straw · band

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. wind — moving air
  3. band — a music group
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. band — a ring
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. chip — for betting
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bass — low music
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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