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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 120 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: mouse · stick · mate · pop · bass · degree · kick · chest

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. chest — a box
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mouse — for a computer

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