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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
468
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: hide · pitcher · chair · press · bass · mine · craft · sharp

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bass — the fish
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bass — low music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — clever
  9. craft — boats
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. craft — a skill
  14. press — to push
  15. chair — a leader
  16. press — newspapers
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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