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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: snap · toast · spell · degree · scale · straw · roll · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cell — in biology
  4. degree — from a university
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. roll — a list
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. scale — size or range
  10. roll — a cake
  11. degree — an amount
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — bread
  19. snap — to click
  20. scale — in music
  21. spell — magic
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. straw — a straw man

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