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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chest · spell · pound · bass · degree · fan · rash · perch

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rash — hasty
  4. chest — a box
  5. spell — a short time
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — low music
  9. pound — a weight
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — letters
  15. degree — from a university
  16. perch — the fish
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spell — magic
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rash — on the skin

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