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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ground — a position
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. degree — an amount
  6. last — final
  7. rock — music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rock — a stone
  10. object — a thing
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. degree — temperature
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rash — a series
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. dip — to sink
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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