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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. last — to go on
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. last — finally
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. field — for sport
  10. degree — temperature
  11. drill — the tool
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. field — a subject
  16. degree — from a university
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rock — a stone
  19. drill — army training
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rock — music
  24. last — final

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