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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — for catching
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. can — to be able to
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — an amount
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fall — the season
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. sharp — clever
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fall — to drop
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. degree — from a university
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. net — after costs
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — in sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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