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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bat · scale · stock · cap · field · root · degree

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. field — a subject
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stock — shares
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. degree — temperature
  12. root — the cause
  13. field — farmland
  14. scale — in music
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. degree — an amount
  18. field — for sport
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stock — goods
  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