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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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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: degree · mouse · stick · key · swing · field · rest · stand

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. swing — music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. key — the most important part
  7. field — a subject
  8. rest — what's left
  9. key — for a lock
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. key — in music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. field — for sport
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rest — a break
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rest — what's left

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