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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. date — the fruit
  9. tube — a container
  10. fine — all right
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fine — high quality
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. drill — army training
  17. bass — low music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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