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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bank — for money
  6. board — a committee
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. field — a subject
  11. board — to get on
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. field — farmland
  15. snap — to click
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — for sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. court — for sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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