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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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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 · leaves · chair · chip · mouse · firm · rash · racket

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. degree — from a university
  8. firm — steady
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. degree — temperature
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chip — to eat
  14. firm — decided
  15. chair — a leader
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. firm — a company
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. degree — an amount
  24. leaves — to go away

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