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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bass — low music
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. row — a line
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bay — a horse colour

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