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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. present — there
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mug — a cup
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bear — the animal
  11. present — the time now
  12. bass — low music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mug — a face
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. present — a gift
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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