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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. field — for sport
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bear — the animal
  5. dip — to sink
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. current — happening now
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — a subject
  13. row — a line
  14. current — of water
  15. last — final
  16. degree — from a university
  17. row — to paddle
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. current — electric
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. degree — temperature
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — farmland
  24. dip — a sauce

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