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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 124 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. last — final
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. last — finally
  9. rash — a series
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. season — of the year
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rash — hasty
  19. last — to go on
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. patient — a sick person

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