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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: degree · charge · arm · land · bass · march · drill · chair

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. land — to come down
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. chair — a leader
  9. land — ground
  10. charge — in control
  11. degree — from a university
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. degree — temperature
  15. charge — a price
  16. land — a country
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. charge — electricity
  21. march — the month
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bass — low music
  24. drill — army training

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