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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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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: field · drill · rush · straw · date · pitcher · degree · cabinet

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. field — farmland
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. field — for sport
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. drill — a practice
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. field — a subject
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. degree — from a university
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. degree — an amount
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rush — hurry
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitcher — a jug

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