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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: chip · march · dip · bound · lie · bass · craft · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. march — the month
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. dip — to sink
  8. craft — boats
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lie — to recline
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. march — the month
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. march — music
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bound — certain
  23. bass — low music
  24. chip — to eat

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