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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bulb — for light
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. field — a subject
  8. cue — a hint
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cue — a signal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. scale — in music
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bulb — for light
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kick — in football
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. scale — size or range
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bulb — of a plant

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