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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · plane · club · degree · bass · chip · straw · chair

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. game — wild animals
  4. plane — a tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. chip — for betting
  9. game — a match
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chair — a leader
  15. degree — from a university
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bass — low music
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chip — to eat
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bass — the fish

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