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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. field — farmland
  14. mark — a trace
  15. club — for dancing
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — certain
  18. degree — an amount
  19. club — for golf
  20. tear — from crying
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bound — obliged

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