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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wake — a trail
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. present — a gift
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lie — to recline
  17. ground — a position
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. degree — temperature
  21. present — there
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. present — the time now

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