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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 · staff · bowl · field · sharp · jam · foot · bat

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. field — farmland
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. degree — from a university
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — a subject
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bat — the animal
  21. field — for sport
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bowl — a dish

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