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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.

Make a worksheet

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: club · content · scale · bank · chair · present · game · bass

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. game — a match
  3. chair — a leader
  4. content — the amount
  5. club — a group
  6. scale — size or range
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bass — low music
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. present — the time now
  11. content — happy
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. game — wild animals
  14. club — for golf
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bank — of a river
  17. scale — in music
  18. present — a gift
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. present — there
  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