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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: field · bass · board · kid · rock · degree · mate · pass

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. board — a committee
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mate — to breed
  5. field — for sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kid — child
  10. field — a subject
  11. board — to get on
  12. field — farmland
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mate — a friend
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rock — music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mate — a partner
  24. degree — from a university

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