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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 124 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. degree — temperature
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — to breed
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chip — to eat
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — an amount
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. degree — from a university
  24. arm — part of the body

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