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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 · mate · rock · straw · mouse · chair · rest · leaves

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. chair — a leader
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rock — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rock — a stone
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. degree — from a university
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. degree — temperature
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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