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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. scale — in music
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rock — music
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — in cards
  7. row — a line
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. row — to paddle
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. degree — from a university
  14. scale — size or range
  15. field — a subject
  16. rock — a stone
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. field — farmland
  21. suit — to fit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rock — to move gently

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