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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. file — a tool
  3. pop — soda
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. bass — low music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pop — to visit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. game — a match
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bass — the fish
  18. swing — in golf
  19. file — a document
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. game — wild animals
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pop — music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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