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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.

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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 · mouse · calf · suit · bass · mine · swing · kid

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. suit — to fit
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bass — low music
  9. suit — clothes
  10. kid — child
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. degree — temperature
  16. kid — to tease
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. suit — in cards
  21. swing — music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mine — for digging

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