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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: wind · drill · mate · snap · bass · bound · pitcher · ball

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a dance
  7. drill — a practice
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — army training
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bass — low music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bass — the fish

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