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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · lash · bass · clip · pitcher · chair · mug · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. field — a subject
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — a face
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. clip — a video
  16. mug — a cup
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bass — low music
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mug — to rob
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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