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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fine — all right
  3. degree — from a university
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fine — high quality
  7. season — of the year
  8. scale — size or range
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. roll — a list
  12. face — to point toward
  13. scale — in music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. degree — an amount
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. face — to confront
  21. season — in sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. face — part of the head
  24. roll — a cake

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