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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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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kick — in football
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. track — to keep track
  7. land — to come down
  8. wound — an injury
  9. land — ground
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a song
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cell — in biology
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. track — a path
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cell — a phone
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. land — a country

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