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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: cold · pitcher · chair · charge · bowl · snap · bass · bay

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. charge — in control
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bass — the fish
  13. charge — a price
  14. bass — low music
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. snap — to click
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cold — not warm
  22. charge — electricity
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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