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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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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: toast · degree · roll · bowl · chair · racket

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. roll — a cake
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. roll — a list
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. toast — bread

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