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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. content — happy
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. content — the amount
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rock — music
  19. degree — from a university
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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