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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 120 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: rock · pop · field · firm · snap · squash · degree · present

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. firm — steady
  4. snap — to click
  5. field — for sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. present — there
  8. squash — the sport
  9. firm — decided
  10. field — farmland
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rock — music
  14. present — a gift
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. present — the time now
  17. firm — a company
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. field — a subject

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