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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bass — low music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bound — tied together
  7. net — after costs
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. key — for a lock
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bound — certain
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. key — in music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. net — for catching
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bound — obliged

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