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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. tear — from crying
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. key — in music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. degree — an amount
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — for sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. field — a subject
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mark — a grade
  14. field — farmland
  15. degree — temperature
  16. key — the most important part
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. net — in sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tear — from crying
  21. degree — from a university
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mark — to pay attention

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