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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. lean — thin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lean — to bend
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. degree — temperature

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