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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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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: wake · degree · fine · hand · bass · mark · game · chair

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wake — a trail
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fine — all right
  20. bass — low music
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fine — high quality
  24. game — a match

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