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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — farmland
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pit — a hole
  10. court — of law
  11. vault — a safe
  12. degree — from a university
  13. court — for sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pit — in a race
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pound — a weight
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. court — of a king

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