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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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 — on a roll
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fine — high quality
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rest — a break
  7. degree — temperature
  8. roll — a cake
  9. rest — what's left
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fine — all right
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. saw — the tool
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fine — a penalty
  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