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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. season — of the year
  12. degree — temperature
  13. season — in sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — for sport
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fall — the season
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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