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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. face — to point toward
  5. root — the cause
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. field — farmland
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. degree — temperature
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rock — music
  16. march — the month
  17. pop — soda
  18. face — to confront
  19. pop — music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. root — of a word
  22. march — music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. degree — from a university

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