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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. staff — employees
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. staff — employees
  7. board — a committee
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pit — a hole
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ground — the earth
  13. degree — from a university
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ground — a position
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — temperature
  23. board — to get on
  24. pit — in a race

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