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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · hand · coach · roll · bass · present · staff · current

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. current — happening now
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — the fish
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. roll — a cake
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. current — of water
  17. present — there
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. current — electric
  20. season — of the year
  21. hand — help
  22. staff — a stick
  23. roll — a list
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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