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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · calf · squash · degree · march · arm · field · pop

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pop — soda
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pop — music
  10. march — the month
  11. field — a subject
  12. march — the month
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pop — to visit
  16. can — to be able to
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. degree — temperature
  19. can — a tin
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — music
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. arm — part of the body

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