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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 120 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: chip · wake · chest · bulb · bass · chair · season · track

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. season — of the year
  4. track — a song
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chest — a box
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chest — of your body
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wake — a trail
  18. track — a path
  19. chair — a leader
  20. season — in sport
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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