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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wake — a trail
  4. field — a subject
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. row — a line
  9. field — farmland
  10. season — of the year
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. field — for sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. season — in sport
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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