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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. firm — steady
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cap — a hat
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cell — a phone
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cap — of ice
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. degree — temperature
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. cap — a lid
  20. sharp — clever
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitcher — a jug

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