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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: chair · stick · shower · bass · pass · bound · court · race

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. court — of law
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pass — a permit
  6. race — a contest
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. race — humankind
  13. shower — rain
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. court — for sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. court — of a king
  21. bass — low music
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. shower — to wash

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