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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — farmland
  3. rock — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. degree — temperature
  9. land — to come down
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — a country
  13. kid — to tease
  14. field — a subject
  15. rest — a break
  16. row — a line
  17. degree — from a university
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kid — child
  21. dip — to sink
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. land — ground

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