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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: game · bass · wave · cabinet · arm · chair · tear · pitch

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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