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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — a subject
  4. craft — boats
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. degree — from a university
  8. foot — a measure
  9. degree — an amount
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. craft — a skill
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fine — all right
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mark — a grade
  24. craft — a handicraft

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