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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. degree — temperature
  4. court — of a king
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rash — hasty
  9. court — for sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. band — a music group
  13. court — of law
  14. bass — low music
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. chair — a leader
  18. degree — from a university
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. face — to confront

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