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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: wound · file · sharp · lie · chair · bass · season · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — of the year
  6. bass — the fish
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. rock — music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. sharp — clever
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. file — a line of people
  18. season — in sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bass — low music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. sharp — with an edge

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