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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: staff · chair · bass · toast · pit · cabinet · lie · ground

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ground — a position
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — bread
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pit — in a race
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — low music
  19. staff — employees
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pit — a hole
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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