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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: bass · stock · hand · board · chair · perch · club · lie

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. club — for golf
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. perch — the fish
  6. board — to get on
  7. stock — shares
  8. club — for dancing
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — help
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bass — the fish
  18. hand — in cards
  19. club — a group
  20. board — a committee
  21. bass — low music
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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