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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 120 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: degree · rush · field · rock · chest · fine · swing · land

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chest — of your body
  7. land — a country
  8. fine — all right
  9. land — ground
  10. field — a subject
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. field — farmland
  15. degree — an amount
  16. swing — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. land — to come down
  20. rock — music
  21. chest — a box
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fine — high quality
  24. swing — to play on

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