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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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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 · staff · calf · bat · field · ruler

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. field — a subject
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. degree — from a university
  11. field — farmland
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. degree — an amount
  14. staff — employees
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. field — for sport
  18. calf — a young animal

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