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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 116 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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. field — farmland
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bear — the animal
  12. key — the most important part
  13. staff — a stick
  14. key — for a lock
  15. field — for sport
  16. key — in music
  17. staff — employees
  18. degree — temperature
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wake — a trail
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — a subject

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