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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — after costs
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. band — a music group
  12. season — of the year
  13. degree — temperature
  14. band — a ring
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. net — for catching
  19. season — in sport
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. saw — the tool

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