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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. degree — temperature
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. clip — for paper
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. clip — a video
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fork — in a road

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