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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. degree — an amount
  3. field — for sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. kick — in football
  7. firm — a company
  8. scale — in music
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. degree — from a university
  13. scale — size or range
  14. field — farmland
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pound — a weight
  18. firm — decided
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — temperature
  21. saw — the tool
  22. field — a subject
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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