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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.

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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 · fine · degree · present · jam · swing · bass · mate

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. degree — an amount
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. present — there
  12. fine — all right
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mate — a partner
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bass — low music
  22. present — the time now
  23. degree — temperature
  24. present — a gift

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