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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. degree — from a university
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mark — a grade
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mate — to breed
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mug — a face
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. degree — an amount

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