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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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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stand — to bear
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kid — child
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. board — to get on
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — a subject
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. board — a committee
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. field — for sport
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. stand — for spectators

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