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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.

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
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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: hide · chair · pit · bass · bound · mug · bowl · fork

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bass — low music
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bound — certain
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mug — a face
  24. pit — in a race

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