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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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468
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: field · chip · degree · board · drill · bass · racket · toast

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. drill — army training
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. field — a subject
  6. board — a committee
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chip — to eat
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bass — the fish
  15. drill — the tool
  16. degree — an amount
  17. toast — bread
  18. field — farmland
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. field — for sport
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chip — for betting
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bass — low music

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