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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. field — a subject
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. field — for sport
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. root — of a plant
  14. degree — temperature
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. field — farmland
  23. game — wild animals
  24. degree — from a university

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