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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. firm — steady
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ball — a dance
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cell — in biology
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cell — a phone
  11. game — a match
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. degree — temperature
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. degree — from a university
  23. firm — decided
  24. arm — part of the body

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