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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 120 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: last · chair · saw · pit · pop · bass · bay · bore

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bass — low music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. last — finally
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pop — music
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pop — soda
  12. pit — a hole
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pop — to visit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pit — in a race
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. chair — a leader
  22. last — to go on
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bore — to drill

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