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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 124 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cap — a lid
  3. field — farmland
  4. degree — from a university
  5. field — a subject
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. field — for sport
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. degree — an amount
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cap — a hat
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. band — a ring
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cap — of ice
  24. season — in sport

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