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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: fan · band · roll · last · bass · hand · racket · cue

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. last — to go on
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — in cards
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. band — a music group
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bass — low music
  17. hand — help
  18. last — final
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cue — a signal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. roll — a list

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