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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · chair · foot · field · stick · patient

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. field — a subject
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. foot — a measure
  8. field — farmland
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. degree — temperature
  14. field — for sport
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — a leader

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