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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 120 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ground — the earth
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. ground — a position
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fall — to drop
  12. present — there
  13. row — a line
  14. fall — the season
  15. bass — low music
  16. present — the time now
  17. row — to paddle
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fork — in a road
  20. ground — crushed
  21. present — a gift
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fall — to drop

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