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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: club · saw · chair · present · bass · race · rock · pitch

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. race — the arms race
  5. present — a gift
  6. race — a contest
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. present — the time now
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitch — completely
  11. club — a group
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. present — there
  14. rock — music
  15. chair — a leader
  16. race — humankind
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bass — the fish
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. club — for golf
  24. chair — to sit on

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