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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. field — for sport
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. land — a country
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. key — for a lock
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — to come down
  12. field — farmland
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. field — a subject
  15. key — the most important part
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. key — in music
  20. land — ground
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. date — the fruit
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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