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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: mine · mouse · degree · toast · kick · vault · last · rest

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — final
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rest — what's left
  13. toast — bread
  14. last — finally
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rest — a break
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kick — in football
  21. vault — a safe
  22. last — to go on
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. rest — what's left

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