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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: game · press · bark · field · drill · sharp · degree · cabinet

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. sharp — clever
  3. game — wild animals
  4. press — newspapers
  5. field — farmland
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. degree — temperature
  8. field — a subject
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. drill — the tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. drill — army training
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. game — a match
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. degree — an amount
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cabinet — ministers

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