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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: coach · chip · calf · ball · hand · pitcher · field · degree

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. 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. field — for sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. field — a subject
  7. degree — an amount
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hand — help
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. 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