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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: field · firm · safe · spell · game · fall · rash · degree

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. spell — a short time
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. degree — from a university
  6. game — a match
  7. degree — an amount
  8. field — farmland
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. firm — decided
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. game — wild animals
  19. firm — steady
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. firm — a company

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