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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. degree — an amount
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — a trace
  6. sharp — clever
  7. degree — from a university
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. mark — a grade
  11. staff — employees
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. field — for sport
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. firm — steady
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. firm — a company
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. firm — decided
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. nail — for a hammer

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