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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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — a position
  4. field — a subject
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cell — a phone
  8. suit — to fit
  9. ground — crushed
  10. suit — in cards
  11. field — farmland
  12. mate — a partner
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. field — for sport
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. suit — clothes
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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