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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: clip · suit · mouse · field · game · degree · track · staff

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. staff — a stick
  3. field — for sport
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — clothes
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — a video
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. track — to keep track
  12. degree — from a university
  13. suit — to fit
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — a subject
  18. clip — to cut
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. track — a song
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mouse — the animal

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