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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
468
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: charge · drill · game · rush · bass · content · fine · band

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. drill — a practice
  3. band — a music group
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rush — hurry
  6. band — a ring
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. charge — in control
  9. fine — all right
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. drill — army training
  13. bass — low music
  14. content — the amount
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fine — high quality
  17. charge — electricity
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. bass — the fish
  22. charge — a price
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — the tool

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