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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cue — a hint
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. last — finally
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. foot — a measure
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cue — for pool
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. last — final
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. club — for dancing

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