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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. degree — temperature
  5. file — a document
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. file — a tool
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mark — a grade
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. degree — from a university
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spell — letters
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. degree — an amount
  20. spell — magic
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mark — to pay attention

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