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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mine — for digging
  7. field — a subject
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. field — for sport
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. field — farmland
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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