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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. charge — in control
  14. field — a subject
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rash — a series
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. charge — electricity
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. charge — a price

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