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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 120 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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. field — farmland
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stand — to bear
  5. track — a song
  6. degree — from a university
  7. track — a path
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. field — a subject
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. field — for sport
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. hand — help
  21. branch — a division
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. degree — temperature

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