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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. toast — bread
  3. degree — an amount
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. plane — a tool
  6. degree — from a university
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. saw — the tool
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bore — to drill
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. net — after costs
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. sharp — clever
  19. net — for catching
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bore — to tire
  22. degree — temperature
  23. net — in sport
  24. saw — the tool

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