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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. plane — a tool
  5. degree — temperature
  6. staff — employees
  7. degree — from a university
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pop — to visit
  11. staff — employees
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. date — the fruit
  14. degree — an amount
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pop — music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pop — soda
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. staff — a stick
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. roll — a list

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