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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: stand · rest · mug · field · rush · degree · last · bat

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. field — a subject
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mug — a cup
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bat — the animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. last — to go on
  16. mug — a face
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. field — for sport
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. field — farmland

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