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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. degree — from a university
  6. kick — in football
  7. present — there
  8. pit — a hole
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bat — the animal
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. craft — a skill
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pit — in a race
  16. craft — boats
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stock — goods
  19. present — the time now
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stock — shares
  22. degree — an amount
  23. present — a gift
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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