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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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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: bat · spell · chair · snap · bass · nail · lean · stick

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. spell — magic
  4. bass — low music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lean — thin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. spell — a short time
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spell — letters
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bat — the animal
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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