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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.

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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: bass · land · lean · rule · degree · foot · jam · clip

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bass — low music
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bass — the fish
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. land — to come down
  13. foot — a measure
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lean — to bend
  16. degree — an amount
  17. land — a country
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rule — government
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. land — ground
  23. lean — thin
  24. rule — a law

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