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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. degree — temperature
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. present — a gift
  5. march — the month
  6. present — there
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — finally
  12. chair — a leader
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. pitch — completely
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. march — music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. lie — to recline
  21. march — the month
  22. degree — from a university
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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