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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: chair · bass · deal · perch · bowl · kid · net · staff

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. staff — employees
  4. bass — low music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. staff — a stick
  8. net — in sport
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. net — after costs
  11. deal — to handle
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. staff — employees
  18. chair — a leader
  19. net — for catching
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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