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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
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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: degree · chair · leaves · squash · ball · track · press · pop

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — the sport
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pop — music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. press — newspapers
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pop — soda
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. press — to push
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. ball — a dance
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chair — a leader
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. degree — temperature
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pop — to visit

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