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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. degree — temperature
  6. season — of the year
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. chip — to eat
  10. current — happening now
  11. cell — in biology
  12. field — for sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. stand — to bear
  15. chip — for betting
  16. current — electric
  17. field — a subject
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. degree — an amount
  21. current — of water
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. field — farmland
  24. cell — a phone

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