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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. staff — a stick
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. degree — an amount
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. staff — employees
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. degree — from a university
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. deal — to handle
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. staff — employees
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. degree — temperature

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