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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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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. track — a song
  4. ground — crushed
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. degree — from a university
  7. band — a ring
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. degree — an amount
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. degree — temperature
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bear — the animal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bear — the animal
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. band — a music group
  24. ruler — for measuring

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