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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. staff — employees
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. spring — of water
  9. bass — the fish
  10. spring — the season
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pound — a weight
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. staff — a stick
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. chair — a leader
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. object — an aim
  21. staff — employees
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bass — low music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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