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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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Word bank
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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. field — for sport
  3. mug — to rob
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. field — farmland
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mug — a face
  12. saw — the tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mug — a cup
  16. degree — from a university
  17. field — a subject
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. key — in music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. calf — of the leg

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