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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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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: pound · last · calf · degree · fork · stand · bowl · field

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stand — to bear
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. field — farmland
  17. last — finally
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. last — final
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. field — a subject
  24. calf — a young animal

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