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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.

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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 · staff · bowl · clip · toast · pit · degree · rest

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. degree — an amount
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. staff — employees
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pit — in a race
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rest — a break
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. degree — temperature

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