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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. degree — temperature
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. shower — rain
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chip — for betting
  14. deal — to handle
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bank — for money
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bank — for money

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