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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: chair · chip · arm · wound · bound · bass · pit · squash

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bound — certain
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bass — the fish

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