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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: rash · last · hand · toast · degree · cue · stand · bound

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bound — tied together
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hand — help
  6. rash — a series
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bound — obliged
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. last — final
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. toast — bread
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bound — certain
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. last — finally
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cue — a hint
  24. degree — from a university

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