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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rock — music
  14. field — for sport
  15. toast — bread
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rock — a stone
  20. field — farmland
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. degree — from a university
  24. field — a subject

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