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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: jam · degree · craft · pop · racket · perch · field · chair

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. field — farmland
  6. degree — from a university
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. field — a subject
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — a leader
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pop — to visit
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pop — music
  16. craft — boats
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. perch — the fish
  20. degree — temperature
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pop — soda
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. degree — an amount

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