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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 · object · deal · degree · kick · lash · date · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. field — a subject
  3. kick — in football
  4. degree — from a university
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. field — farmland
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. field — for sport
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. degree — temperature
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. object — to protest
  20. deal — to handle
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. date — the fruit
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pitcher — a jug

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