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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: field · mark · bay · file · trunk · deal · degree · roll

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. field — a subject
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. roll — a list
  8. mark — a grade
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. file — a document
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. field — for sport
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. deal — to handle
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. field — farmland
  23. mark — a trace
  24. trunk — of a car

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