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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. field — farmland
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. net — for catching
  10. cap — a lid
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cap — a hat
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cap — of ice

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