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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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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: deal · mouse · temple · degree · pitcher · kick · field · stick

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. kick — in football
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. degree — an amount
  9. deal — to handle
  10. degree — temperature
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. field — farmland
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. temple — a place of worship

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