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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bound — certain
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bound — tied together
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rash — a series
  12. field — for sport
  13. bound — obliged
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pass — a permit
  17. last — finally
  18. field — a subject
  19. rash — hasty
  20. last — to go on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. last — final
  23. bulb — for light
  24. calf — a young animal

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