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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. land — ground
  3. press — a publisher
  4. present — the time now
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. land — to come down
  8. present — there
  9. press — newspapers
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. press — to push
  12. field — farmland
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. deal — to handle
  15. land — a country
  16. present — a gift
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bat — the animal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bat — in an idiom

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