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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. race — a contest
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. season — in sport
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. field — a subject
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — temperature
  11. race — the arms race
  12. degree — an amount
  13. race — humankind
  14. field — farmland
  15. scale — in music
  16. field — for sport
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. scale — size or range
  19. season — of the year
  20. bear — the animal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. scale — for weighing

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