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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chair — a leader
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — from a university
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bass — the fish
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bass — low music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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