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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: deal · rock · bass · track · squash · wound · roll · chest

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bass — the fish
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — music
  9. squash — to crush
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. roll — a cake
  13. chest — a box
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rock — a stone
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. roll — a list
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bass — low music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wound — an injury

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