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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: chip · cell · court · degree · stem · roll · bass · fan

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bass — low music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chip — for betting
  6. roll — a list
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stem — to come from
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. court — for sport

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