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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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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: bass · pitch · march · bound · land · jam · stick · game

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — completely
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. land — a country
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. land — ground
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. bound — certain
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. land — to come down

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