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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. degree — from a university
  3. key — in music
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rash — a series
  9. bass — the fish
  10. field — a subject
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. field — farmland
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mark — a grade
  18. key — for a lock
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. degree — an amount
  21. tube — a container
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. field — for sport
  24. stand — to bear

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