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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 116 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: squash · safe · field · hand · object · rock · lie · degree

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. field — a subject
  3. lie — to recline
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hand — help
  15. rock — a stone
  16. object — to protest
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. squash — to crush
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rock — music
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. field — for sport

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