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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: last · rock · degree · rest · pitcher · net · key · mouse

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rock — music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — a break
  6. key — the most important part
  7. last — final
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rest — what's left
  14. net — after costs
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rest — what's left
  20. net — for catching
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. last — finally
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rock — a stone

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