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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 116 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: kid · bass · chair · pass · racket · hide · club · band

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a music group
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a ring
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bass — the fish
  15. kid — child
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. kid — to tease
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bass — low music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. chair — a leader

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