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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 120 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: ball · land · rock · chip · chest · perch · chair · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rock — music
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. perch — the fish
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rock — a stone
  17. land — ground
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. land — a country
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — the fish
  23. chip — for betting
  24. land — to come down

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