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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: bay · toast · stick · game · land · degree · roll · racket

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. game — wild animals
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. land — a country
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. land — to come down
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. game — a match
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. racket — for tennis

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