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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bass — low music
  13. key — in music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. hand — in cards
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. key — for a lock

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