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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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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: stick · wake · tear · bass · drill · pitch · cell · chair

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wake — a trail
  3. drill — army training
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bass — low music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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