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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.

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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: lie · bass · content · bowl · degree · ball · chair · stock

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. ball — a dance
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — low music
  10. stock — goods
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bass — the fish
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. content — the amount
  21. stock — shares
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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