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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stand — to bear
  5. field — a subject
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. shower — to wash
  8. field — for sport
  9. row — to paddle
  10. shower — rain
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. last — finally
  13. bear — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. last — to go on
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. degree — an amount
  23. field — farmland
  24. temple — a place of worship

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