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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
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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: pit · ground · bound · firm · chair · sharp · bass · kid

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bound — obliged
  7. firm — a company
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ground — a position
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. firm — decided
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. firm — steady
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pit — a hole
  16. chair — a leader
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bass — the fish
  20. kid — child
  21. bass — low music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ground — the earth

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