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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. craft — boats
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. field — for sport
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. field — farmland
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — from a university
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. field — a subject
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. file — a tool
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. craft — a skill
  24. coach — a trainer

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