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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 116 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: leaves · racket · degree · mouse · bat · content · rash · file

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. content — the amount
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. degree — an amount
  14. file — a line of people
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. file — a tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. content — happy
  19. file — a document
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. degree — temperature
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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