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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. charge — in control
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. degree — from a university
  8. field — farmland
  9. degree — an amount
  10. charge — a price
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fine — all right
  16. squash — to crush
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bass — low music
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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