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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.

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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: vault · rest · degree · stick · racket · last · can · safe

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. can — a tin
  4. rest — what's left
  5. last — final
  6. can — to be able to
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rest — what's left
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. can — a tin
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rest — a break
  19. last — to go on
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. vault — a safe
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. safe — out of danger

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