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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: pit · field · bay · clip · toast · stick · degree · ruler

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. toast — bread
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. degree — from a university
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. clip — a video
  17. degree — temperature
  18. field — for sport
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. pit — a hole
  24. ruler — for measuring

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