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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
468
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 · squash · leaves · field · bay · file · bound · face

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. degree — from a university
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. degree — an amount
  9. field — farmland
  10. squash — to crush
  11. face — part of the head
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bound — obliged
  16. file — a document
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. file — a tool
  19. field — a subject
  20. file — a line of people
  21. degree — temperature
  22. field — for sport
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. face — to confront

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