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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · bound · bass · chair · mug · shower · wound · season

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wound — an injury
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bass — low music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mug — to rob
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mug — a face
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mug — a cup
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. shower — rain
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. season — of the year
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. season — in sport
  24. shower — a meteor shower

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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