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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. chair — a leader
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. degree — from a university
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. field — for sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. plane — a tool
  10. deal — to handle
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. snap — to click
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. field — a subject
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. chair — to sit on

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