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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mug — a cup
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. fine — high quality
  5. degree — temperature
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. capital — money
  12. field — a subject
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. field — for sport
  16. mug — to rob
  17. degree — from a university
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fine — all right
  20. field — farmland
  21. capital — a city
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mug — a face

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