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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. hand — in cards
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bass — the fish
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. club — a group
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hand — help
  20. craft — boats
  21. club — for golf
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chair — to sit on

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