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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: calf · chip · present · bat · drill · squash · field · degree

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. present — there
  4. drill — army training
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bat — the animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chip — to eat
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. present — a gift
  16. field — for sport
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. squash — the sport
  20. present — the time now
  21. drill — a practice
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. squash — to crush
  24. field — farmland

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