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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 · squash · last · kick · firm · pitcher · bass · wake

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. firm — decided
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. degree — temperature
  5. last — finally
  6. firm — a company
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. last — to go on
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wake — a trail
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. firm — steady
  16. last — final
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. kick — in football
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wake — before a funeral

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