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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 · mark · sharp · rest · lean · swing · degree · field

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rest — a break
  9. swing — music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. game — a match
  14. lean — to bend
  15. swing — in golf
  16. degree — temperature
  17. field — a subject
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. degree — from a university
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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