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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pit — in a race
  4. degree — an amount
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. content — happy
  8. field — a subject
  9. present — a gift
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. present — the time now
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. degree — from a university
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. content — the amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. present — there
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bear — to put up with

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