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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. object — an aim
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bulb — for light
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. suit — clothes
  11. object — to protest
  12. bulb — for light
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cold — an illness
  21. object — a thing
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  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