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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: toast · pitch · leaves · degree · rest · racket · cabinet · field

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. degree — from a university
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rest — what's left
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. field — farmland
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. field — for sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pitch — completely
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. field — a subject
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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