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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ground — the earth
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mate — a friend
  8. kick — in football
  9. mate — a partner
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bat — the animal
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ground — a position
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. degree — an amount
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. safe — a strongbox

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