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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
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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: leaves · net · roll · degree · court · rush · track · staff

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. degree — temperature
  3. net — for catching
  4. staff — a stick
  5. track — a song
  6. staff — employees
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. degree — from a university
  9. track — a path
  10. roll — a list
  11. degree — an amount
  12. net — after costs
  13. rush — hurry
  14. roll — a cake
  15. court — for sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — of law
  18. net — in sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. court — of a king
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. roll — on a roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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