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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 116 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: spring · press · wave · scale · game · chair · degree · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. degree — an amount
  7. spring — of water
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spring — the season
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. game — a match
  14. press — a publisher
  15. game — wild animals
  16. scale — in music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. press — to push
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. game — a kind of play

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