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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · key · degree · mug · mark · fork · spring · field

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. spring — of water
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mug — a face
  5. field — for sport
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mug — to rob
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. spring — the season
  15. mark — a grade
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mug — a cup
  22. field — farmland
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. field — a subject

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