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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: chair · mouse · cabinet · press · mate · racket · ground · degree

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. press — newspapers
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. press — to push
  12. ground — a position
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mate — to breed
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. press — a publisher
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. ground — crushed

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