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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: hand · chair · pitcher · bass · foot · craft · fan · object

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — help
  3. object — a thing
  4. chair — a leader
  5. object — an aim
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. craft — a skill
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bass — low music
  16. object — to protest
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. foot — a measure
  20. craft — boats
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. foot — part of the body

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