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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: game · date · mug · fall · bass · staff · rash · pound

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. game — a match
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pound — a weight
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mug — a face
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mug — to rob
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. staff — employees
  22. mug — a cup
  23. rash — a series
  24. pound — for dogs

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