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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: present · degree · field · rule · calf · last · bass · lie

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. last — final
  4. present — the time now
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. field — for sport
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bass — low music
  12. last — to go on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — temperature
  16. present — there
  17. bass — the fish
  18. last — finally
  19. degree — from a university
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. lie — to recline
  22. present — a gift
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lie — an untruth

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