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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: pass · last · nail · bat · trunk · mine · racket · degree

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. pass — a permit
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. last — final
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bat — the animal
  14. last — to go on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. last — finally
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mine — for digging
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. degree — from a university
  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