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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. field — for sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. object — a thing
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chair — a leader
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. object — an aim
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bear — the animal
  20. object — to protest
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bore — gave birth

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