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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. hand — in cards
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. field — for sport
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. field — a subject
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. hand — help
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rock — music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. field — farmland
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. sharp — clever
  22. degree — temperature
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hide — to keep secret

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