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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · club · nail · cap · tear · field · mug · safe

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. degree — an amount
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. degree — temperature
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mug — to rob
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. tear — from crying
  11. field — a subject
  12. degree — from a university
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mug — a cup
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cap — a hat
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. mug — a face
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cap — a lid
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — for golf

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