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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: bass · hand · tear · chair · charge · bat · craft · plane

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — in control
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. tear — to rip
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bat — the animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bass — low music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. charge — a price
  24. craft — boats

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