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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 120 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: nail · kick · field · hide · degree · bass · bay · chair

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. chair — a leader
  5. degree — temperature
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — from a university
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. field — for sport
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kick — in football
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. field — a subject
  20. bass — low music
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bass — the fish

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