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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chair — a leader
  4. spell — magic
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spell — letters
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stand — to bear
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hand — help
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. chair — a professorship

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