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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: stand · chair · bass · pop · track · file · hand · pitcher

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. track — to keep track
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. file — a document
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — to bear
  7. track — a path
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — a song
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pop — to visit
  17. file — a tool
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. file — a line of people
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pop — music
  23. bass — low music
  24. pop — soda

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