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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stem — to come from
  3. degree — from a university
  4. craft — boats
  5. firm — decided
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. staff — a stick
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. staff — employees
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. firm — steady
  18. craft — a skill
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pound — a weight
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. staff — employees
  24. firm — a company

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