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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pit — in a race
  6. race — humankind
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fine — high quality
  10. race — the arms race
  11. degree — from a university
  12. last — final
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. race — a contest
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. last — to go on
  17. field — a subject
  18. last — finally
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fine — all right
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. degree — an amount

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