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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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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. field — for sport
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. field — a subject
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — farmland
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stock — shares
  17. suit — in cards
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. perch — the fish
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — to fit
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stock — goods

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