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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mark — a grade
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. scale — in music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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