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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: rush · net · leaves · hide · degree · chest · rock · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. hand — help
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. net — in sport
  4. chest — a box
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rush — hurry
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. degree — an amount
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rock — a stone
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — for catching
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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