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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: degree · rest · mouse · file · calf · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. file — a document
  7. degree — from a university
  8. file — a tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rest — a break
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — what's left

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