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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. net — in sport
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. chip — for betting
  10. net — for catching
  11. field — a subject
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. field — for sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bear — the animal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. field — farmland
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pit — a hole

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