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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stock — shares
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stock — goods
  9. ball — a dance
  10. kid — child
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rash — a series
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pit — in a race
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kid — to tease
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ball — a great time
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mug — a face
  24. rash — on the skin

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