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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.

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: land · bass · stick · pitcher · calf · staff · chair · vault

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. land — to come down
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. staff — employees
  11. land — ground
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. land — a country
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. vault — a safe

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