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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.

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: degree · court · chip · straw · band · squash · suit · bass

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. court — for sport
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — to fit
  8. degree — an amount
  9. band — a music group
  10. bass — the fish
  11. band — a ring
  12. suit — in cards
  13. court — of law
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. squash — the sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bass — low music
  20. chip — to eat
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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