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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.

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: pit · degree · fine · pop · field · chip · club · safe

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. degree — an amount
  3. field — farmland
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chip — for betting
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pop — soda
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pit — in a race
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. club — for golf
  19. fine — high quality
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. safe — a strongbox

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