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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: rest · swing · hide · fork · chair · kid · craft · bass

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. swing — music
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. swing — in golf
  10. kid — child
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rest — what's left
  14. craft — boats
  15. chair — a leader
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rest — a break
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fork — in a road

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