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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. roll — a list
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. field — for sport
  9. roll — a cake
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. degree — from a university
  12. net — after costs
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — to eat
  17. degree — an amount
  18. net — for catching
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. net — in sport
  24. safe — out of danger

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