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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: field · key · rule · degree · squash · cap · rush · race

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. field — for sport
  5. degree — an amount
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rule — government
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. squash — the sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. key — for a lock
  16. rule — a law
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cap — of ice
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. squash — to crush
  24. race — a contest

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