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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: chair · bass · degree · branch · board · date · fork · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. board — a committee
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. fork — in a road
  8. board — to get on
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. branch — a division
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bass — low music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bass — the fish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. degree — from a university

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