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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. perch — the fish
  3. degree — from a university
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bore — to tire
  10. saw — the tool
  11. content — the amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fine — all right
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. saw — the tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fine — high quality
  22. content — happy
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fine — a penalty

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