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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. key — in music
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. key — the most important part
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — goods
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. can — a tin
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. key — for a lock
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality

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