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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bank — for money
  4. degree — from a university
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bank — of a river
  7. degree — an amount
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. game — wild animals
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bank — for money
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. roll — a cake
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. roll — a list
  23. kick — in football
  24. patient — a sick person

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