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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: degree · toast · bay · rest · bound · racket · spell · last

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bound — obliged
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bound — certain
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. toast — bread
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. last — final
  12. bound — tied together
  13. spell — magic
  14. last — to go on
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rest — what's left
  17. last — finally
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. degree — temperature
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spell — letters
  24. degree — an amount

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