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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: degree · land · calf · ball · mark · key · field · current

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. degree — an amount
  3. current — happening now
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — a trace
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — a subject
  9. degree — from a university
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. key — in music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. current — of water
  16. land — to come down
  17. current — electric
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mark — a grade
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. key — the most important part
  23. land — a country
  24. calf — of the leg

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