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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. swing — in golf
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mug — a cup
  5. march — music
  6. mug — to rob
  7. shower — rain
  8. net — for catching
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. squash — the sport
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. swing — to play on
  15. net — in sport
  16. mug — a face
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. shower — to wash
  23. march — the month
  24. net — after costs

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