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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: march · field · last · degree · object · jam · dip · pitcher

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. march — the month
  3. degree — temperature
  4. field — farmland
  5. last — to go on
  6. object — to protest
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. degree — from a university
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. object — a thing
  19. field — for sport
  20. march — music
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. field — a subject
  24. object — an aim

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