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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: land · deal · can · bowl · bass · degree · mug · game

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. land — ground
  3. mug — to rob
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. land — to come down
  6. degree — an amount
  7. game — wild animals
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bass — the fish
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — a country
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mug — a cup
  19. deal — to handle
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mug — a face
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bowl — to roll

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