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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. suit — clothes
  4. dip — to sink
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. degree — an amount
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — farmland
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. suit — in cards
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cell — in biology
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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