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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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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. degree — temperature
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bass — the fish
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. fall — the season
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. land — a country
  11. degree — an amount
  12. land — ground
  13. cell — in biology
  14. present — there
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bass — low music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. present — a gift
  19. land — to come down
  20. cell — a phone
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — a leader
  24. present — the time now

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