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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. degree — temperature
  3. club — for golf
  4. pitch — completely
  5. track — a song
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. degree — from a university
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. track — to keep track
  19. dip — to sink
  20. club — a group
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. dip — a sauce

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