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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: season · leaves · pass · racket · content · degree · ruler · field

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. season — of the year
  8. pass — a permit
  9. content — the amount
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. field — farmland
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. degree — an amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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