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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 120 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: staff · present · ball · last · band · racket · bat · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ball — a great time
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. last — finally
  10. present — the time now
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. band — a ring
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bat — the animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. staff — employees
  17. band — a music group
  18. last — to go on
  19. degree — from a university
  20. staff — employees
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. last — final

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