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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: jam · face · ball · plane · field · degree · stand · pound

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. ball — a dance
  3. degree — from a university
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. degree — temperature
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pound — a weight
  9. field — for sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. field — farmland
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. field — a subject
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. plane — in geometry

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