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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mug — to rob
  8. craft — boats
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. squash — the sport
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mug — a face
  24. club — for golf

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