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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. field — a subject
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. fall — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. degree — temperature
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — farmland
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. degree — an amount
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. field — for sport
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. board — a committee
  18. fall — to drop
  19. board — to get on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. nail — on a finger

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