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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: stick · toast · chair · hide · cue · bass · season · capital

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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. capital — money
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. toast — bread
  7. season — in sport
  8. cue — a hint
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bass — the fish
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bass — low music
  15. cue — for pool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cue — a signal
  20. season — of the year
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. capital — a city
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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