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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. field — a subject
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. season — in sport
  6. club — for dancing
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. key — the most important part
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. field — farmland
  15. club — a group
  16. key — for a lock
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. clip — a video
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. key — in music
  22. club — for golf
  23. field — for sport
  24. clip — to cut

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