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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. firm — decided
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. firm — steady
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. mug — a face
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. row — a line
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. scale — in music
  20. firm — a company
  21. row — to paddle
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mug — to rob
  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