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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bank — of a river
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. degree — temperature
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — farmland
  14. bank — for money
  15. mug — a cup
  16. degree — an amount
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — for sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mug — a face
  21. field — a subject
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  24. sharp — exactly

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