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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: bass · rock · object · chair · pitch · file · deal · lash

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. object — to protest
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rock — music
  6. object — a thing
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. object — an aim
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. file — a line of people
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. file — a tool
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a document
  24. bass — the fish

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