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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.

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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.

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 · chair · arm · current · cabinet · row · bass · hand

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. degree — an amount
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. row — to paddle
  8. current — of water
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. row — a line
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — temperature
  15. chair — a leader
  16. degree — from a university
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. hand — help
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cabinet — ministers

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