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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — temperature
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — to play on
  8. season — in sport
  9. swing — music
  10. content — happy
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. degree — an amount
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. season — of the year
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. degree — from a university
  22. game — a match
  23. chair — a leader
  24. content — the amount

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