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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — for sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. field — farmland
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — a subject
  11. bear — the animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lie — to recline
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wake — a trail
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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