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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: file · cap · ball · firm · bass · band · scale · coach

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. scale — in music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. file — a tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. band — a ring
  8. cap — of ice
  9. ball — a great time
  10. firm — steady
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cap — a lid
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bass — low music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a document
  21. band — a music group
  22. firm — a company
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ball — a dance

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