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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. degree — temperature
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. field — a subject
  5. degree — an amount
  6. present — the time now
  7. degree — from a university
  8. field — for sport
  9. drill — a practice
  10. suit — in cards
  11. drill — the tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. drill — army training
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. present — there
  16. suit — to fit
  17. season — of the year
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. field — farmland
  24. patient — a sick person

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