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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: bass · chair · craft · sharp · hand · clip · bound · squash

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. craft — boats
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hand — help
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. clip — a video
  11. bass — low music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bound — certain
  14. bass — the fish
  15. squash — the sport
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. squash — to crush
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hand — in cards
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bound — obliged
  23. sharp — clever
  24. craft — a skill

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