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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: cell · fine · vault · rash · kid · degree · leaves · field

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. field — for sport
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rash — hasty
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cell — in biology
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fine — all right
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cell — a phone
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rash — a series
  17. kid — to tease
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. field — a subject
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. degree — from a university
  23. field — farmland
  24. kid — child

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