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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 light ________________ burned out.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. field — a subject
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bass — low music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. field — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. degree — an amount
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — farmland
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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