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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
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: mouse · leaves · kid · chair · bass · degree · field · roll

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. degree — an amount
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bass — low music
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chair — a leader
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bass — the fish
  13. roll — a list
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. degree — temperature
  18. roll — a cake
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. kid — child
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. field — farmland

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