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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mark — a trace
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cue — a signal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. degree — temperature
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. degree — from a university
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a tool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cue — for pool
  24. file — a document

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