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

Word bank: chair · clip · lean · rest · mate · bass · fork · cabinet

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lean — thin
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rest — a break
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bass — low music
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fork — a garden tool

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