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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · plane · bowl · field · staff · degree

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. race — a contest
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. field — a subject
  7. degree — an amount
  8. field — farmland
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. degree — temperature
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. staff — a stick
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. race — humankind
  17. field — for sport
  18. degree — from a university

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