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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. field — farmland
  4. degree — from a university
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. degree — temperature
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. field — for sport
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — of a king
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — for sport
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bank — of a river
  17. present — the time now
  18. saw — the tool
  19. present — a gift
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. field — a subject
  23. bank — for money
  24. court — of law

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