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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. tube — a container
  6. degree — temperature
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. firm — decided
  11. foot — a measure
  12. firm — a company
  13. field — farmland
  14. degree — from a university
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rush — hurry
  18. degree — an amount
  19. spell — letters
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. date — the fruit
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. firm — steady
  24. tube — the underground

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