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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 116 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: lie · field · cabinet · bat · degree · race · deal · calf

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bat — the animal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. degree — temperature
  9. field — for sport
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. deal — to handle
  12. field — a subject
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. race — humankind
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. race — a contest
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — farmland
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. degree — from a university

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