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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: bass · chair · mug · bark · pit · game · staff · last

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bass — low music
  4. last — to go on
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mug — to rob
  7. staff — employees
  8. mug — a face
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. last — finally
  13. chair — a leader
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — wild animals
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. bark — to shout
  23. last — final
  24. chair — a professorship

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