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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. field — farmland
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. degree — temperature
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. degree — an amount
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — for sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. roll — a list
  24. dip — a sauce

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