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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. swing — to play on
  4. field — farmland
  5. land — ground
  6. field — a subject
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ground — the earth
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ground — a position
  15. degree — temperature
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. swing — music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — to come down
  22. degree — from a university
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. land — a country

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