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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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. fork — a garden tool
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. degree — temperature
  6. clip — to cut
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. clip — a video
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lean — to bend
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lean — thin
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mate — to breed
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fork — in a road
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ball — a great time

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