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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · staff · stock · bass · hide · chair · squash · sharp

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitch — completely
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. staff — a stick
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stock — shares
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. squash — the sport
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stock — goods
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitch — a sports field

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