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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.

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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: spell · chair · bass · stick · foot · rule · pass · degree

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bass — low music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. spell — magic
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. foot — a measure
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rule — government
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bass — the fish
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rule — a law
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spell — letters
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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