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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: bowl · present · mark · rush · degree · fine · hand · field

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fine — all right
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. fine — high quality
  14. hand — help
  15. present — the time now
  16. mark — a trace
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. present — there
  20. degree — from a university
  21. present — a gift
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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